Married to a Stranger
by Manga Girl number 6
Summary: COMPLETE. After 5 yrs of ruling Far Far Away, King Arthur is confronted with a challenge; arranging a marriage before he turns 21. Will Artie find his fiancée in time? And will he and she even get along with each other?
1. A bride to be

**Author's Note:**

Just to kill time until my writer's block clears, I've decided to write another Shrek fanfic.

* * *

It was a day like any other for King Arthur Pendragon. He addressed the court of Far Far Away with their issues, spoke to the people, knighted a few noble-hearted men, and christened two boats on voyages across the sea from Far Far Away.

He had been doing pretty much the same routine through the five years of being King.

Arthur had grown out of his teenage awkwardness, now a man… he had embodied the royal position of king. Though he still was a little stubborn-minded and tended to be a smart aleck around a few of his close friends, he was devoted and righteous.

* * *

This fine morning in the month of June, with all of Far Far Away's farmers tending to their crops, King Arthur was out on his daily stroll around his palace's grounds. Far away enough from the bustle of the downtown area and the castle, but close enough that he wasn't concerned about the need for bodyguards.

He would've looked like any other ordinary male citizen, stripped of his regal robes down to a plan tunic and leggings, had he not the emerald adorned crown of Far Far Away set atop his sandy-blonde head. He walked the grounds with a steadfast gait.

A few passing gardeners, their robes and faces smeared with streaks of mud, waved to Arthur as he walked by. Over the years Arthur and the workers on his palace's grounds had become mutual friends through his daily strolls.

The king inhaled the soft morning air; it was crisp with the spicy bite of the coming summer. Many flowers were already in bloom around the grounds; perfuming the air with their heady fragrance.

Arthur turned the last bend in the palace grounds, meeting up with his loyal servants at the cobblestone path into the castle. Even after five years of morning strolls, Arthur still chuckled at the sight of his pale servants squinting in the morning light for him.

He walked up to Fiddlesworth, the head of his personal servants, who nodded respectfully and then shuffled into the palace with his quartet of workers.

Arthur sighed, taking one last glance at the beautiful summer morning, and followed Fiddlesworth through the palace to his room, where he begun getting dressed into his thick robes for the day.

* * *

Queen Lillian, most affectionately known by Arthur as Aunt Lillian, sat at her right-handed seat from the head of the dining table. She wore a rose-pink silk dress. Her emerald tiara-like crown was braided securely into her greying blonde hair.

She paced herself these days, whether it was from the heat of the summer or from her age slowly catching up to her, she hardly knew. She sat at the table, mechanically dipping her slender fingertips into the warm rose-scented water.

Awkwardly, her nephew, Arthur, slipped silently into the dining room and took his seat beside her at the head of the table.

"Another robe hassle, Arthur?" Lillian asked kindly. She daintily dried off her fingers and looked over her nephew with her silver green eyes.

"Well," Arthur absent-mindedly dipped his fingers into his cooling water. "Fiddlesworth and I had another argument about how _many_ robes I should wear." He looked down at his ivory tunic and dark green trousers. "I managed to escape before Raul could come in an attack my hair…" The young man looked up at his shaggy sandy-blonde hair.

Lillian chuckled softly. "Oh Arthur." She smiled warmly. "You most certainly haven't changed since you got here." She gently placed an affectionate hand on top of her nephew's.

Arthur smiled back at his aunt, still having the same caring smile as he had in his youth.

The head chef walked into the dining room. "Breakfast, is served." He bowed formally to the two royals.

* * *

A nimble-legged runner bowed to the two feasting monarchs. "I carry a message for you, your grace." The pageboy rolled his _r_s with his tongue as he spoke.

"Can this wait?" Arthur asked, a little irritated to have his breakfast interrupted by royal business.

"I'm afraid not, your majesty." The young pageboy stated humbly. "For it is a matter of great importance."

"Speak then." King Arthur sighed, waving his hand to the pageboy.

"Ehem…" The pageboy cleared his throat and pulled out a short scroll. "King Lewis of Scotland and Queen Josephine of Scotland have to cancel their mutual agreement with you, King Arthur, of their daughter's marriage to you once you turn the age of twenty-one."

"And why is that?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"She has fallen dead from the plague." The pageboy stated dryly.

"Oh, the poor girl." Lillian frowned.

The young king looked guiltily down at his plate of food, loosing his appetite from the news. "Send King Lewis and Queen Josephine my regards." King Arthur sighed miserably.

"I shall, King Arthur." The pageboy bowed and exited the dining room.

There was a pause of silence between Lillian and Arthur as the table was unset.

"Well." Lillian looked up at her only nephew, trying to break the tense silence. "It seems that we will need to find you a new bride-to-be."

"Yes." Arthur sighed. He rubbed his chin in thought. "And soon…" He murmured. "My twenty-first birthday is only a few weeks away." He pondered silently.

Lillian nodded in agreement.

* * *

There was a knock at the dining room door.

"Come in." Arthur called out.

Fiddlesworth and his band of workers entered. "Your highness…" Fiddlesworth grit his teeth together out of irritation.

Arthur sighed tiredly. "Is there at least a messenger among you?"

A small curly-haired boy stepped from the crowd. "Your grace?" He pulled out a scroll and a fountain pen.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Send to all of the surrounding kingdoms for an available princess that is of the marrying age. Invite them, and their parents, to a royal ball…" Arthur paused for a moment. "Which will also need to be planned."

"Another princess, sire?" Fiddlesworth interrupted coldly.

"Yes." Arthur glared at his head servant. "My recent bride-to-be has fallen dead from the plague in Scotland." He stated.

"Such a tragic loss." Fiddlesworth answered dryly.

The messenger fumbled with the drying scroll. "To Worcestershire, Duloc, and other surrounding kingdoms, your grace?" He enquired.

"Yes." Arthur nodded curtly.

"As you command, King Arthur." The messenger bowed to his superior, quickly rolled up his scroll, and then left the dining room.

"Anyways." Fiddlesworth cleared his throat. "My liege…" He narrowed his dark eyes. "I believe you are wanted in the throne room to address to the kingdom's issues."

"Of course." King Arthur stood from the dining table. "Aunt Lillian." He gestured politely to his aunt.

"Of course, Arthur." Aunt Lillian lifted her fragile self from her chair and walked out of the dining room by Arthur's side.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well that's the first chapter!

**Manga Girl #6**


	2. Kingdom of Far Away

**Author's Note:**

Now what's going to happen?

* * *

Princess Adel Marksworth sat at her father's left hand in the throne room while her mother was at his right hand. The princess wore her silver, pearl and sapphire tiara on her head with a matching cream-and-blueberry gown.

Adel pushed back some of her stray reddish-brown bangs back from her bright blue eyes and looked over the citizen who was kneeling before her family. He was a rotund fellow; one of the richer, higher-class citizens, and he was begging her father for her hand in marriage like many a man before him.

"Please, your highness…" The fellow plucked at his thick, curly moustache. "A thousand pleases to you for the lovely hand of your daughter." He inhaled deeply. "I am a rich man, I own much land, and I can provide much for your lovely daughter."

"Will you love my daughter?" King Fredrick Marksworth asked coldly. He sipped slowly from his gilded chalice of wine.

"Of course, my liege." The rich fellow bowed more deeply. "With all of my heart, I will provide for your daughter, father many children for her, and fulfilled her every desire."

Adel's mother, Queen Ophelia Marksworth, cleared her throat in disapproval. Adel nodded in agreement to her mother.

"But you do not speak as if my daughter is present." King Fredrick barked. He gently pushed back his sapphire and pearl adorned crown against his hazelnut brunette head. "You do not mention her name, and you're not discreet about your intentions."

"Why," The man was taken aback by the wise king's answer. "I am an honest man…" The fellow stated, sinking lower to the polished floor.

"And an immodest one too." King Fredrick narrowed his beetle black eyes. "You shall not have my daughter's hand in marriage, so now go." He waved his bejewelled hand at the fellow.

The rich fellow made an odd noise from the back of his throat, his rotund face changing beet-red in humiliation. He scurried, flustered, out of the throne room.

"Court room dismissed." King Fredrick announced. "Please go back about your regular business."

"Thank you, father." Adel whispered to the man on her right as the throne room began to empty.

"Is there not a decent man in the world fit for you?" King Fredrick stated rhetorically.

Adel chuckled. "Is there not a decent man in this world that's not you, father?" She smiled warmly.

* * *

"Wait!" A tiny voice yelped from the crowds. "King Fredrick!"

"Silence!" The King of Far Away hollered over the buzz of the courtroom.

The courtroom's chatter halted immediately.

"Who calls my name?" He asked.

The crowds parted as a band of trumpeters stepped forwards, announcing a royal-like messenger. One of the trumpeters got carried away, and received a chastising smack to the back of the head.

The royal courier stepped forwards, dressed in a colourful array of puffed sleeves and puffed trousers. He bowed respectfully to the royal family before unrolling his gilded scroll.

The messenger took a deep breath. "To the King, Queen and Princesses of Far Away." The royal messenger began his assigned proclamation. "I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Far Far Away, hereby invite you to a royal ball on the fifteen of June to discuss matters of a bride-to-be for myself, as I am coming to the age of required royal marriage within this month. I wish to meet with all of you and to get to know you before my bride can be arranged. Sincerely; King Arthur Pendragon of Far Far Away…" The royal messenger closed his scroll formally.

"The fifteen of June?" King Fredrick raised an eyebrow to his wife.

"Why that's only a week away…" Queen Ophelia exclaimed.

"I know, my love." King Fredrick patted his queen's hand gently. "We'll have plenty of time to arrange transportation to Far Far Away." He inhaled slowly. "Well will be attending this ball." He stated clearly.

"Thank you, sire." The messenger and his minstrels bowed before leaving the throne room of Far Away.

Finally, the chattering courtroom was emptied, leaving the three monarchs alone.

Princess Adel looked up at King Fredrick. "Father." She winced. "You can't actually be considering…"

"Now, Now Adel." King Fredrick reprimanded his daughter lightly with a waving finger. "Far Far Away is a prestigious kingdom." He cleared his throat. "So likely its king should be just as prestigious."

"I understand, father." Adel sighed.

"Now I'm not forcing you to marry this 'King Arthur Pendragon'." Fredrick stated with his paced voice. "I only wish for you to be happy."

"Yes, father." Adel smiled. "And I'm happy that you think that way."

"However you are almost twenty-one Adel." King Fredrick enforced. "Come September seventeenth, you must be married in order to keep you position as heir to the throne." The hazelnut-brown-haired man sighed tiredly. "And it seems that time is running short."

"Wasn't there some bitter resent between Far Far Away and our own kingdom, Fredrick?" Ophelia asked, she pushed her crown back into her light rouge hair and she looked over her husband with quizzical pale blue eyes.

"I'm afraid so, my love." The hazelnut brunette king sighed. "When my father was crown prince, quite some time before I was borne, there was an argument between our kingdom and the kingdom of Far Far Away." He stated and then took a short sip from his gilded chalice. "War escalated between both of the kingdoms, we lost… and unfortunately lost quite a bit of our land to Far Far Away." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "But let us not let such fool-hearty quarrels from long ago interrupt these present times."

"Hmm." Adel pondered. "Do any of our citizens still hate those from Far Far Away because of this war long ago?" She asked.

"Adel." Fredrick sighed. "I'm afraid that there _are_ some grudges between the two kingdoms." He pushed his slender fingers through his hazelnut brown hair. "But none, I hope, that will intervene with this event."

"Well, assuming that you do marry me to this… 'Arthur'." Adel thought aloud. "Would the alliance of two kingdoms cool their anger?" She asked.

"It may." Fredrick smiled warmly at his daughter's intelligence.

"Well." Adel inhaled deeply and pulled herself out of her throne. "Then that shall be my motive." She smiled sweetly to her parents. "I will meet this: King Arthur Pendragon for our kingdom." She pushed a tendril of her reddish-brown hair back. "And if be it, I will marry him in hopes of a conjoined kingdom alliance." The young princess nodded curtly and left the throne room.

"She gets her cleverness from your side of the family, Fredrick." Queen Ophelia chuckled, gently patting the back of her husband's hand.

* * *

Princess Adel walked the cobblestone pathway through her palace's gardens. The apple, peach and cherry trees were all in blossom. Each scattered light pink petals around the garden, weaving a natural, makeshift carpet. A sweet scent wafted through the humid air and the bright cyan sky was cloudless.

The nearly twenty-one year old princess sighed and sat down on the wooden seat of the garden swing that hung under the grand birch tree in the centre of the garden's courtyard. She wrapped her hands around the ivy-covered ropes of the swing and leaned her head against her left fist.

Two pairs of arms slide around Adel's waist, tightening into a hug. Adel smiled faintly, not responding at first but simply relaxing in the summer air.

"Del-Del." A chirping young voice giggled behind her.

"Yes Harriet?" Adel asked one of her younger siblings.

"Del-Del!" The second voice of her other younger sibling cheered.

"Yes Iris?" Adel yawned.

The two giggling siblings laughed their identical laughed and sprang out in front of the sitting princess.

Adel smiled down at her two sisters. They were identical twins, both only six years of age. Each had a lighter hazelnut brunette hue to their hair, which was often tied back in a single French braid, and they had the same shining beetle black eyes as their father. The only way to differentiate the two younger princesses from each other -besides the fact that Harriet always wore light periwinkle dresses while Iris preferred to were dark blue dresses- was that Iris had her mother's ivory complexion while Harriet shared the same freckled complexion as her father and Adel.

The twins both had the same knack for getting into trouble, much like all young children their age, but they both cared deeply for animals and the simple things in life. Alternatively, Harriet wasn't afraid of getting dirty and liked to keep more 'creepy' animals –like anything slimy or scaly- more than Iris could bear, for Iris preferred to stay as clean as possible and was frightened of the 'creepy' animals.

But the most common thing that these two girls loved and cherished was the company of their older sister, Adel.

Adel immensely cared for her two younger sisters; no matter how much trouble they got each other –and sometimes her- into, and no matter how annoying they could be.

"Why are you so tired Del-Del?" Harriet asked, getting her freckled face in Adel's own.

"Yeah, it's only just the start of the day!" Iris giggled.

Adel looked up at her sisters and smiled. "You two got to sleep in…" She stated. "I had to get up early to attend the royal court this morning." She raised an eyebrow. "Where are your tiaras?"

"Um…" Harriet looked around nervously.

"Harriet hide them somewhere." Iris exclaimed, pointing accusingly at her twin. "And now she's forgotten where they are!" The young princess huffed.

"I did not!" Harriet blew a loud raspberry at her twin sister. "I just can't find them."

"Same difference." Iris scowled.

Adel sighed and collectedly stood from the swing, brushing some fallen petals from her lap. "Let's go find them before mother and father get angry again…" She offered.

"Okay!" Adel's two younger sisters exclaimed excitedly. Iris took Adel's left hand and Harriet took Adel's right hand.

The three princesses of the kingdom of Far Away followed the petal-covered pathway back into the palace, in hopes of finding the misplaced tiaras.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hmm. I pretty much made up Adel's twin sisters on the spot. And I like how they turned out!

**Manga Girl #6**


	3. Artie and Arthur

**Author's Note:**

Great, now I'm getting writer's block on my writer's block reliever… (Argh!)

* * *

Three days after Arthur had sent out his invitations to the princesses of the surrounding kingdoms he was waiting patiently in his throne room, which for him wasn't patient at all. The throne room was empty, as the royal court had been adjourned for the day. Aunt Lillian had gone for her afternoon stroll through the palace and Arthur was casually sitting on his golden throne.

Even at the age of twenty, Arthur's 'boredom-sit' had remained since he had discovered the most monotonous times of his day as king. He sat with his legs over one arm of his throne, his golden and emerald crown slightly tilted off its usual centre on his head with his cheek pressed against his palm.

This was one of the few moments where his nonchalant, teenager self –known as Artie- decided to shine through. Artie counted the tiny, golden lion heads emblazed on the back of his throne. His eyelids were half-drooping over his pale green eyes. He was nearly asleep from boredom.

* * *

Now there was a distinct difference between 'Artie' and 'Arthur' that few people are able to connect.

You see, Arthur, had become known through his position as king and how most people addressed him while he was king. Arthur was a respected, serious, king, who was calm and collected.

At the other end of the same spectrum, was Artie, who was the inner child, well… more often teenager, that was appearing less often. He was around when any close friends were. He was witty, sometimes unsure, and a little stubborn-minded when he decided to show up.

And that is the difference between Artie and Arthur. Well, that's how he saw it anyways.

Artie's arm was beginning to ache from poking each lion's opened mouth, and he could already feel a crick developing in his neck from trying to keep his head up.

* * *

"King Arthur!" Fiddlesworth's reprimanding voice hollered from the other side of the throne room.

Artie growled. He pushed his crown back into place and straightened up to glared at his head servant.

"What is it now, Fiddlesworth?" Artie asked with a wide-mouthed yawn.

"Your lunch is being served and the responses to your invitations are back." Fiddlesworth stated.

"Good." Artie hopped off of his uncomfortable throne. "You can read them to me on the way there." He stated as he brushed past Fiddlesworth, his arms stretched out in front of him.

The head servant grumbled inaudibly, straightened his large hat and followed his master out of Far Far Away's throne room.

* * *

Lillian smiled faintly as she watched her only nephew walk into the dining room for lunch. He was late, as usual, but just seeing him cheered her up. The kind queen pushed aside her bowl of lemon-scented water as he sat at the head of the table.

Fiddlesworth was at his ear, explaining and scorning like usual.

"Okay, quit telling me random stuff and get to the point Fiddlesworth." Artie stated irritably. "Who's coming and who's not?"

Fiddlesworth inhaled and then sighed. "Princess Siobhan from Ireland will be coming." He pulled out a lengthy scroll of invites. "Princess Anita from Spain. Princess Gertrude from the kingdom of _New_ Duloc will be coming but Princess Linda from the kingdom of Duloc won't because she's already arranged a marriage." Fiddlesworth cleared his throat. "Princess Marilyn from Worcestershire is now Queen, so she won't be coming. Princess Betsy from Holland will be attending. And an assortment of high ladies and our own Princesses from Far Far Away." Fiddlesworth gasped for much-needed air. "Most of them will be bringing their families if they are attending." He finished off smoothly, closing the scroll with a snap.

"Wait." Lillian held up her hand. "What about the Princess from the kingdom of Far Away?" She enquired.

"We sent a messenger this morning, so news should be returning shortly, my lady." Fiddlesworth stated.

As if on cue, a puff-sleeved and puffed trouser wearing messenger dragged himself into the dining room, his trumpeters slithering weakly behind him. "News…" He panted heavily. "From- Far Away…" He groaned.

"And that would be?" Fiddlesworth asked bitterly before either of the monarchs could.

The messenger paused for a moment to collect his wits. "Princess Adel from the kingdom of Far Away will be attending your royal ball, sire…" The messenger stated.

"Thank you." Fiddlesworth shooed away the royal messenger and his minstrels. "Now, leave…" He narrowed his beady eyes. "Go collect you fee from Nancy and be off."

The royal messenger and his trumpeters slugged out of the room, still exhausted from their trip.

"You don't have to be so blunt." Artie stated.

"It's part of my job." Fiddlesworth narrowed his dark brown eyes. "Says, so in my résumé." The head servant turned on his heeled boot and left the two royals to their lunch.

* * *

Artie sighed and absent-mindedly dunked his fingertips into his bowl of cooled off lemon-water.

"Is there something on you mind, Arthur?" Lillian asked.

"I don't know, Aunt Lillian…" Artie shrugged and pushed aside his bowl. "I guess all I really need now is… some guidance."

"Well I'm always here when you need me, Arthur." Lillian gently patted Artie's forearm. "You know that, don't you?" She looked into his eyes reassuringly.

"Of course." The twenty-year old smiled warmly. "It's just-" His juvenile smile faltered slightly and he sighed. "Well… I was kind of thinking…"

"Yes?"

"I was thinking that maybe I could invite Shrek and everyone else over too…" He rubbed the back of his head. "You know, get to see the triplets after all of these years."

Lillian smiled broadly. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Arthur."

Artie's juvenile smile returned to his face once again. "You think so?"

"I know so, Arthur." She smiled. "Don't criticize everything you do, just because you're king."

Artie smiled weakly and shrugged. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders self-confidently. "Is there a royal messenger present?" Arthur asked politely.

"Yes, Sire!" A small voice responded; it had a cute lisp on every 's' sound making it sound 'sh'.

A young girl wearing a short, strawberry-red sundress with matching tights stepped into the dining room.

"How may I serve, King Arthur?" She smiled and retrieved a scroll and fountain pen from one of the outer pockets of her apron.

"Send an invitation to Sir Shrek and Princess Fiona to bring themselves, and their children to Far Far Away, in time for my royal ball." Arthur smiled at the messenger. "Send another invitation to Donkey and Dragon with the same information, and to Puss'n'Boots as well."

"Anyone else, sire?" The female messenger enquired.

"That'll be all for now." Arthur nodded. "Send the invites with due haste." He pressed two gold coins into the messenger's palm.

"Right away, King Arthur." The messenger bowed to the two monarchs and left the dining room.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well that's it for this chapter.

P.S. To previous readers of "Magic, it was Just Magic": I'm currently re-writing and editing the story so I should be back to update it soon!

**Manga Girl #6**


	4. Hesitation and a Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

Hmm… Now what?

* * *

"Found them!" Adel pulled out a pair of identical silver tiaras from a small broom closet. She stood up and gently brushed off the dust from them.

"Hurray Del-Del!" Harriet exclaimed.

Adel smiled down at her sisters and looked down at the tiaras. They were wrought silver tiaras, shaped into circlets and twisted as if made by metal ivy. Iris' tiara had a small sapphire flower with a tiny pearl in its centre that was placed. Harriet's tiara had a small sapphire butterfly with a tiny pearl for its head.

Adel handed her sister's their appropriate tiaras and gently took off her own to look it over. It was made of the same ivy-like silver, but at each twist in the ivy there was a tiny pearl in the centre of a small sapphire circle. At the centre of the tiara there was a unique heart-shaped pearl with tiny sapphires lining its soft edges. The older princess smiled and placed her tiara back in her head.

"Ehem…" Someone cleared their throat in the doorway of the kitchens that they had found the twins' tiaras in.

Adel looked up and smiled. "Yes father?"

"Why are you in the kitchen?" King Fredrick Marksworth raised an eyebrow.

"Well." Adel looked down at her sisters, who were waving their hands and shaking their heads as to tell her not to tell their father what they had lost. Again. "Iris and Harriet were feeling hungry…" She smiled softly. "So we came here to get them a snack."

"Yes, a snack!" The twins chirped eagerly.

"And we were just leaving." Adel stated smoothly.

"Hmm…" Fredrick stroked his chin. "Well, off you two go then; Adel I'm going to need to speak with you for a moment."

"Yes Father." Adel nodded to her father. "Go ahead and play outside you two." She gently pushed her younger twin sisters towards the backdoor into the palace's gardens. "You shouldn't waste a day like today indoors."

"Okay Del-Del!" The twins rushed outside.

Fredrick and Adel chuckled their near-identical chuckle at the young princesses and they left the kitchens.

* * *

"What did you need me for, father?" Adel asked her father as she and him walked down the hallway through the castle.

Fredrick smiled warmly. "My dear." He gently patted her on her shoulder. "I understand that you're having some hesitation with this implied arrangement of marriage."

"Well." Adel sighed. "I don't feel that only one night, at this…" She paused. "Ball… Will be enough time to get to know King Arthur as a person, and hardly to know him as a suitor."

Fredrick chuckled, leading his eldest daughter into the ballroom. Its floor was an elegant white marble, with blue-grey veins webbed through it. Above them hung a huge golden chandelier, lit by tiny candles and with small clear crystals that refracted the light across the room.

"It's true Adel." King Fredrick stated. He gently pushed back his crown. "You might not get to know this Arthur Pendragon in one night as anything." He cleared his throat. "He's going to be likely so busy with all of the princesses that you'll hardly get any time to see him at all." The forty-three year old king sighed and looked at his daughter. "I think." He paused to smile. "That the first impression you want to give to him; should be one that will honour our kingdom."

"But…" Adel slumped her shoulders unconfidently. "But what if I mess up, father?" She was queasy with the sudden amount of pressure.

King Fredrick chuckled at his daughter's concern and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Then first impressions will prove to be entirely wrong."

"Father?" Adel raised her head. "I… I want to make you proud." She breathed in. "So, I'll try my hardest to give King Arthur Pendragon a good first impression." She nodded to her father. "I'm going to check up on my sisters, now, Good day." She gave her father a small curtsy and then left the ballroom to search the palace grounds for her younger twined sisters.

"You already have made me proud, Adel." King Fredrick whispered softly with a warm smile.

* * *

"Del-Del!" Harriet chimed out the moment she seen her eldest sister. "Look what I found!" She exclaimed, holding up a large bullfrog in Adel's face.

"That's nice, Harriet." Adel smiled down to her sister. She sat down on a stone bench so she was eye level with her sisters.

"What did father want?" Iris enquired, ignoring Harriet's bullfrog with a sneer.

"Oh." Adel pushed back her reddish-brown hair. "Just grown-up stuff." She stated.

"Aww." Harriet groaned. She placed her bullfrog down among the tall grass. "That means we can't know."

"I know_ that_." Iris frowned at Harriet. She then looked up into Adel's bright blue eyes. "But you're not _that_ grown-up, Del-Del." Iris smiled encouragingly.

Adel smiled briefly and pressed her elbows against her knees. She leaned forwards and held her chin in her hands. A small sigh left her lips.

"What's wrong Del-Del?" The twins asked simultaneously.

"Oh." Adel smiled softly. "Nothing's wrong…"

She knew that her sisters wouldn't understand the concept of a possible arranged marriage. They only knew the illusion of: a damsel in distress who gets rescued by a knight in shining armour _'and they lived happily ever after'_; from all of the fairy tales she had told them in years past.

"Okay." Harriet and Iris sat down beside Adel on the stone bench. They mimicked her position and sighed.

Adel smiled grew and she giggled. She leaned on one elbow and turned to look at her sisters.

"What?" Harriet sat up.

Adel shook her head and silently got up from the bench.

"What?" Harriet and Iris hopped off of the bench and followed Adel deeper into the garden.

Adel laughed silently at her sisters' antics. She slowed down her gait so her younger sister's could catch up with her. The three princesses of Far Away leisurely walked though the petal-covered pathway of their palace's gardens.

* * *

Shrek and Fiona sat in their living chairs, exhausted from the morning's tasks of attending to their five-year-old triplets. Now that the ogrelets were now on summer vacation from Duloc Elementary, life wasn't as easy-going in their swamp.

Instead of six long hours to themselves, they were back into their 24-7 parenting.

If Liam was hungry, they had to make sure he ate the right kind of bugs. If Kathryn was tired they had to make sure that her brothers wouldn't disturb her nap. If Harold was going to perform a triple-spin belly flop out of a tree into a shallow puddle of swamp mud, they had to quickly find out where he was and then prevent him from breaking something.

Yep, wasn't parenting three ogrelets a breeze?

There was a prompt knock on their front door. Shrek was the first one out of his reclining living chair. He smoothed some of the creases from his shirt.

If someone had knocked, then he likely didn't know him or her. If it were someone he knew, they wouldn't have knocked; they would've burst casually into the house and made themselves right at home.

Shrek opened the door, with Fiona at his shoulder, and looked out onto the familiar arrangement of trumpeters at the front door. The minstrels announced the arrival of one of Far Far Away's royal messengers.

The ogre couple stepped out of their house onto their front porch. There were a few homemade playthings scattered about the deck. The wood planks of the deck were slight faded from many feet walking on it and from the bountiful sunny days shining down on it.

"To Sir Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Family." The royal messenger announced to the two adult ogres. "You are invited to King Arthur's Royal Ball for fifteenth of June and are advise to promptly arrive in Far Far Away as soon as possible. Sincerely Uncle Artie and Grandma." The royal messenger snapped shut his scroll and left the swamp.

"Grandma?" Harold yelped.

"Uncle Artie?" Kathryn cheered.

"Hurray!" The two more hyperactive ogrelets out of the triplets pounced off of the roof. Shrek and Fiona mechanically grabbed them out of the air before they could hit the ground.

"The fifteenth of June?" Liam collectedly climbed down one of the roots hanging from the roof. "Isn't that coming up soon?" He asked; looking up at his parents with the same copper-brown eyes he shared with his younger brother and his father.

"Yes it is Liam." Fiona smiled down to the oldest of her triplets and patted his hairless head. "It's only three days from now." She looked up at her husband.

"Well." Shrek shrugged. "Then we should head off to Far Far Away as soon as we can."

"Hurray, Road Trip!" Harold and Kathryn yelled excitedly.

"Aw…" Liam moaned. He was known to get a bit of carriage sickness.

"Road Trip?" A familiarly loud voice called from behind them. "Can I come?"

"Uncle Donkey!" The triplets hollered. They hugged Donkey around his grey-brown furred neck.

"Well, well." Shrek turned around to face his best friend. "When did you get here?" He folded his arms over his chest.

"Ten minutes ago…" Donkey stated. "Dragon's flying the kids over to Far Far Away later tomorrow morning. So I decided to drop by for a visit." He smiled. "Besides, road trips are some much more fun with more people."

"Oh yes…" Shrek gritted his back teeth angrily. "There wouldn't be a real _fun_ road trip without an annoying talking donkey."

"Of course!" Donkey agreed optimistically.

Fiona laughed lightly. "Come on, we'll get our things packed and pick up the carriage right after lunch."

"Lunch?" Donkey jumped up. "Oh boy!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

HURRAY, chapter four! (Don't forget to check the small revisions I've made to the first three chapters!)

**Manga Girl # 6**


	5. The Sky is Crying

**Author's Note:**

And now, Chapter Five!

* * *

A light drizzle of rain poured down from the skies the day the Marksworth royal family decided to depart from their beloved kingdom of Far Away for Far Far Away. It was almost as if the sky was childishly crying for them not to leave, but regardless of the change in weather the royal family loaded there things into their carriage and began their journey with due haste.

After all, it wasn't regal to be late for any event in another kingdom.

Adel sat between Iris and Harriet, allowing them to gain access to the window seats. King Fredrick and Queen Ophelia sat across from their daughters with their backs to the carriage's driver. The hood of the carriage was drawn over their heads, allowing them to strip off their damp cloaks for the ride.

Outside the carriage, as it journeyed down the main avenue, were the citizens of Far Away in the light shower of rain. All of the citizens were paying their respects and wishing their royal family a well journey to Far Far Away, despite the few bitter grudges against the other kingdom. Some tossed flowers in the wake of the carriage. Others bowed and curtseyed to the carriage.

"They look sad, Mommy…" Harriet observed as she peeked out of the small window installed in the door of the carriage.

"Oh they're not sad, Harriet." Ophelia smiled weakly. She brushed back some of her light rouge hair from her pale blue eyes. "They just miss us already." She smiled warmly.

Fredrick and Adel smiled at this comment, but remained silent. The carriage bumped on the forest road outside of Far Away, beginning to long journey to the kingdom of Far Far Away.

* * *

Arthur leaned against the arm of his throne. Tomorrow was the day all of the princesses and their families would be arriving in Far Far Away. Both he and Aunt Lillian had been busy with the preparations for the ball, but all he really wanted was to see his friends again.

A near-silent tapping of small boots drummed against the polished floor of the empty throne room. The sandy-blonde-haired king looked up from his hand.

"Why so glum, Señor?" A Spanish voice asked Artie.

"Hey, Puss." Artie smiled weakly at the familiar voice but then sighed. "I don't really know…" He watched the orange cat daintily leap up onto the opposite arm of his throne and nonchalantly take a seat. "I guess I'm kind of overwhelmed with this whole arranged marriage thing."

"But you were so confident before." Puss stated. "Why the sudden change of heart?" He enquired.

"Didn't you hear?" Artie asked. "My bride-to-be from Scotland fell dead from the plague."

"Oh." Puss pulled of his hat and bowed his head respectfully. "A fine maiden she was."

"Yeah." Artie sighed sadly. "And we were pretty good friends." He stated. Artie got up from his throne and folded his arms across his chest. "But now…" He shook his head. "Now I have even less time to meet and choose a new bride-to-be."

Puss placed his hat back onto his head. "Well Señor." The cat stood up on the arm of the throne and smoothed his whiskers back into their original curly moustache. "Then this ball coming up will truly be a grand chance for you to meet your future queen." He smiled confidently.

Artie exhaled and looked out of the stained glass window.

A light rainfall drummed against the regal rendering of his passed away uncle, as a frog with the same emerald and gold crown on his head.

"So when _did_ you get here, Puss?" The young king asked.

The orange cat smirked. "I was already in town with a lady friend of mine." He stated. "And so, I arrived as soon as I hear news of this ball."

Artie smirked bemusedly. Now he just had to wait until the rest of his friends arrived…

* * *

"Sing the Road Trip song again, Uncle Donkey!" Kathryn demanded, hopping up and down on her seat in the onion carriage.

"Okay." Donkey took a deep breath, to begin the song, before Shrek quickly snapped shut his mouth with one hand.

"I think we've heard the 'Road Trip song' enough times for this trip." The father ogre stated irritably.

"Aww…" Kathryn, Donkey and Harold groaned identically.

Fiona chuckled and gently stroked the hairless head of her eldest son, who was resting in her lap.

"Now let's all quiet down so Liam can sleep." She smiled. "And maybe… Shrek will tell us a story."

"Yes, a story Daddy!" Harold and Kathryn hopped up and down on the spot. "A Story!"

"Yeah, Shrek, a story!" Donkey enthusiastically agreed. "A Story!"

"Alright." Shrek sighed. "But only if you be quiet." He stated.

The three hyperactive passengers obediently quieted down; all looking at Shrek from the rear of the onion carriage with wide, excited eyes.

Shrek gently put his arm around his wife's shoulders and leaned in towards the other passengers. "Once upon a time…"

* * *

"My it's getting quite late, isn't it?" Ophelia yawned. She looked at the stars that had already come out as the rainfall passed. "Should we stop at an inn, Fredrick?"

"We'll arrive in Far Far Away much faster if we continue on through the night, my love." Fredrick yawned.

"Yes." Ophelia looked gently across the carriage and smiled warmly. "It seems that our girls are already comfortable enough in here."

Both Harriet and Iris had their heads in Adel's lap and Adel leaned back, sleeping against the back of the carriage. Fredrick chuckled in agreement.

* * *

"And they all lived happily ever after." Shrek finished. He couldn't help but smile.

Everyone in the carriage was asleep, not that his tale had been boring, but because they were all tired.

Shrek rested his head against his wife's, who was leaning gently on his own shoulder, and drifted off to sleep to the steady rhythm of the bouncing carriage wheels.

* * *

"Arthur?" Queen Lillian tapped lightly on her nephew's bedroom door. "May I come in?"

"Yes Aunt Lillian." The king's voice responded.

The grey-blonde haired queen silently opened the door to Arthur's room. It was another master bedroom built especially for him. The young king had generously allowed his aunt to keep her original master bedroom for herself; so she could preserve the memories of her deceased husband.

Artie wore a pair of dark green trousers and a light ivory nightshirt. His gold and emerald crown rested on a wooden bust at the end of his bed. Artie stood at the balcony leading out of his room, leaning against it's granite railing.

"Is there anything troubling you, Arthur?" Lillian asked gently.

"Yeah." Artie answered. He slid a hand through his sandy-blonde bangs. "It's just-" He stepped away from the balcony and faced his aunt. "I don't know what it is…"

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Lillian enquired.

"I don't know." Artie sighed. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for this..." He stated.

Queen Lillian frowned, but not from anger. Since Artie's official coronation, Lillian had assumed Artie knew what little time he had to find a queen. Unfortunately, her nephew had only just figured out the news of the king's required age of marriage, in order to stay king, on his twentieth birthday.

She feared that Artie wouldn't be able to find a wife in that time, and the princess of Scotland was really a resolution between the two kingdoms for defeating each other's bandits.

Lillian had seen the chemistry between her nephew and the princess once they met and got to know each other. She could tell that then, Artie was confident in the arranged marriage despite only just meeting the young princess.

But now that the princess of Scotland was no longer alive, Lillian could tell that Artie wasn't only mourning for the lost of a good friend, but suffering from the loss of the confidence in an arranged marriage.

And now with the ball to meet a bride-to-be only two days away and his twenty-first birthday fourteen days after the ball, Lillian could see that her nephew was clearly stressed about the situation.

"You do know I'm here for you, Arthur." Lillian repeated, as she had done whenever she sensed uncertainty in her nephew. "Always…"

Artie smiled weakly. "I appreciate you're help, Aunt Lillian." He patted his aunt on the shoulder.

"Good Night Arthur." Lillian smiled softly to her nephew and gently kissed him on the forehead before leaving his room.

"Good Night Aunt Lillian." Artie sighed. He should get to bed. If his eligible brides were going to arrive the next day, he would need all of the energy possible...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Almost time for the Ball!

**Manga Girl #6**


	6. Busted Wheel

**Author's Note:**

Almost at the ball… (Pretty close!)

* * *

Adel woke to the hyperactive jumping of her younger sisters, pointing out everything they could see. It was early morning, she assumed, and the carriage was filled with a soft summer breeze. The hood of the carriage was pulled down, allowing the entire royal family an excellent view of their surroundings.

The eldest princess of the Marksworth family rolled her shoulders back and calmly looked out at the countryside they were passing. It rolled out on hundreds of grass-covered hills that seemed almost golden in the morning sunshine. The sky was filled with cottony-white clouds that seemed to be painted onto the bright cerulean canvas.

"Look, look, Del-Del!" Harriet hollered, barely keeping in her seat. "Look it all of those sheep!" Her beetle black eyes widen curiously.

"Look Del-Del!" Iris pulled at Adel's light cream coloured sleeve. "Look at those cute baby lambs!" She squealed at the sight of the cute and fluffy animals.

Adel sighed tiredly and straightened up. She looked across the carriage at her parents, who were handling the ride calmly and collectedly.

But the young woman could tell by her parents' tense, stressed expressions that they were almost reaching their boiling points.

Adel pushed back her bangs and gently repositioned her tiara. "Why don't we play the animal game?" She whispered to her sisters gently.

"The Animal Game?" The curious twins asked simultaneously.

Adel smiled softly. "We see how many animals are on our side of the carriage, but we count them in our heads." She stated.

"Okay!" The twins enthusiastically exclaimed. They each peered over to their own side, looking out on the vast fields of animals.

Adel looked back at her parents, who nodded gratefully at her quickness. Adel smiled at herself and leaned back, seeing if she could catch a few more minutes of sleep before the sun was completely above them.

* * *

Shrek enjoyed having the top of the carriage opened. Not because more people would see him and his family, but because the rushing wind helped him drone out most of his children's –and Donkey's- chatter.

Liam tried to stay optimistic, still feeling nauseous by the rhythm of the onion carriage's wheels against the not-so-even road. He spent most of the ride at his mother's side, often staring at the seat across from him, or anything solid in the carriage.

As for Harold, Kathryn and Donkey, they were having a ball looking at passing scenery and jovially singing 'The Road Trip song' and other loud, repetitive songs.

The horses' hooves click-clacked against the growing-rockier pathway to Far Far Away. The wind buzzed of delicious insects and the onion carriage's wheels clomped against the ruts in the road.

Shrek couldn't help but enjoy it.

* * *

Artie woke up early that morning, and decided to take a longer stroll than usual around the grounds. Even his gardening servants weren't all up, most of them having their morning meal with their families in town.

The twenty-year-old walked among the willow trees near the beginning of his walk. Such beautiful trees lined the road into the palace grounds and often left a fine layer of leaves on Artie's morning pathway.

He past through the large curtain of delicate leaves of one of the grander willow trees and sat down at the tree's base. The thick twisted roots made a nearly perfect natural bench.

The bark along a particular bend in the above-ground roots had been smoothed out from many people who had sat down on it; either to rest their feet or to think to themselves or perhaps to sit with a loved one and cherish the seclusion behind the curtain of the willow tree's leaves.

Artie sat down on the bend and stretched himself against the willow tree's base. He leaned back and looked up among the thick branches of the elegant tree. To him, this willow tree was his escape from everything life had put him through, and was going to put him through. A place where he could be alone, a place to think and a place to be his true self.

The troubled man sighed. He didn't want the morning to pass; he wanted every minute to drag on for hours on end, or perhaps not end at all. But he feared that Fiddlesworth would be up soon, and then he would begin to search the palace grounds for him with his troupe of servants; likely armed with a pair of outrageously thick regal robes or an insane haircut suggestion.

Artie smoothed his hands back through his hair, stopping at the cold metal of his crown. He gently plucked it from his head and looked at it meaningfully.

He remembered five years ago, he was barely fifteen years old, when he had first set his eyes on this crown. When Shrek had first asked him if he wanted to be king… because it was his choice.

The young king could see a faint mirror image of himself in the gold surface of the crown among the emeralds and embossed images.

What if he hadn't chosen to place this crown on his head? He wondered. Where would he be now? What would he be now? Thoughts pried the twenty-year-old man's mind like never before.

He had never once regretted becoming king. Sure a few times when the job was difficult he had had the thought pass his mind; but never before had he considered the possibilities of a life had he not chosen to become king of Far Far Away like this.

A single tear slipped from Artie's pale green eye, one he could clearly see in the reflection of himself in the crown. He wasn't ready for this kind of commitment, not for anyone in the world, not like this…

* * *

The trail was getting rougher for both of the carriages, for they were both merging onto the same road well travelled by many. Though they couldn't see each other through the thick line of trees that momentarily separated their two roads, they were both nearly the same distance from Far Far Away.

The Marksworth's carriage was a few miles' ahead of Shrek and company's. The deep ruts in the road were unnerving for the young driver that was assigned to the carriage for that morning; the other driver, who had driven during the night, slept peacefully by the Marksworth's luggage at the rear of the carriage.

This young driver was Antony, only just out of his senior of private school; he was still new when it came to driving one-horse carriages… especially ones with an entire royal family inside it. Antony clasped the reins in his right hand as he used his other to swat his dark auburn hair from his light green eyes.

"Driver." Queen Ophelia's voice called from behind him.

"Yes milady?" Antony asked nervously.

"How much longer until were are in Far Far Away?" She enquired.

"Um."

Antony spotted a passing sign. 'Far Far Away: 50 Miles.'

"Perhaps another few hours, milady." He stated.

Suddenly the carriage jolted in a particularly deep rut, tossing its passengers. Abruptly one of the wheels gave way, halting the carriage's journey.

"Oh bother." Antony chewed on his bottom lip nervously. He hopped down from his seat and examined the troublesome wheel.

"What's wrong, Antony?" Harriet asked sweetly, looking to the young driver below her corner of the carriage.

"The wheel's busted." Antony sighed. He poked his older brother, Henry, in the head. "Oi Hen… wake up."

"Huh?" Henry looked at his younger brother with his light blue eyes. "What is it?" He stretched out.

"Help me with this busted wheel." Antony stated. He pulled out the spare wheel from the bottom of the carriage.

"Nice job Antony." Henry frowned. He rubbed his dark auburn hair out of his eyes and hopped down from the rear of the carriage. "Of all places to break down, you had to have it at a crossroads, fifty miles from Far Far Away!"

"It's not my fault!" Antony exclaimed, turning on his older brother. "Besides, we might get some help if any other carriages pass by." He suggested optimistically.

"Yeah sure." Henry rolled his light blue eyes. He turned to his passengers. "You may want to hop out of the carriage for a moment, majesties." Henry bowed formally to the royal family.

"Yay, exploring time!" Harriet and Iris shouted enthusiastically.

Adel chuckled and quickly hurried after her two younger sisters.

"Well, we might as well stretch our legs." Fredrick yawned and helped his wife down from the carriage.

Henry and Antony pushed up the sleeves of their blue and ivory striped uniforms. They were halved in triangles of blue and ivory across the torso; the top triangle was a royal blue for Henry while Antony's was a royal ivory.

"Okay," Henry pushed back his cap. "Let's get started before we lose our heads."

"Yes sir!" Antony agreed.

* * *

"Del-Del, Look!" Harriet hopped along the stones of a nearby pond. "Look at all of the frogs, Del-Del!"

"Harriet, don't get your dress dirty!" Adel pushed through the cattails. "You know mother will get angry."

"Don't worry Del-Del." Harriet smiled cheerfully. "I'll tell the frogs nicely not to get my dress muddy."

Adel laughed heartedly at her sister's silliness and looked out from the pond at the road. She could hear another carriage coming down the road towards the crossroad where they were temporarily stranded.

"Harriet, Iris, come here." Adel ordered briefly.

Her sisters did as they were told. "What's wrong Del-Del?" They asked her quizzically.

Adel pressed an index finger against her lips. "Listen." They listened and hear the carriage's nearing approach. The eldest princess smiled. "Let's go see if we can stop that carriage." Adel suggested determinedly.

"Okay!" The twins exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Maybe a few more chapters then I'll start the ball… Maybe.

**Manga Girl #6**


	7. Playtime

**Author's Note:**

And now onto Chapter Seven!

* * *

The three princesses crept through the tall grass, onto a hill that rose between the north and east roads of the crossroads. They could see the weaving road below them from where they were stranded until it disappeared under the seclusion of the Far Far Away Forest's trees.

Adel looked behind them, the carriage they had heard from the pond was shaped like an onion, drawn by two elegant white stallions, and driven by a stout gnome-like man. Even while the carriage was passing over the crest of a hill, all three of the princesses could see that the passengers of the onion carriage were in fact an ogre family of five, with a small donkey at the back of the carriage.

"AH!" Iris and Harriet screamed loudly at the sight of the ogres and ran down the hillside to their parent's sides. The king and queen likely couldn't see the ogres' carriage, any better than the ogres could see them, and would tell their frightened six-year-old twins that there were no ogres in these parts.

* * *

Adel had not run from the sight of the ogre family. She stood on the hill and thought for a moment, narrowing her bright blue eyes in concentration, and then she hurried down the hillside to the onion carriage.

"Excuse me!" Adel waved her hands. "Please, stop!"

The gnome pulled at the horses' reins and stopped the stallions from pulling the carriage.

"Is there something the matter?" The female ogre, who seemed to be the mother of the family, peered down at Adel.

"I was wondering I you could help me with my family's carriage." Adel panted silently from the hastened run down the hill. "Our carriage wheel's busted and we could use some extra help changing it."

"C'mon, Shrek!" The donkey at the rear of the onion carriage shouted to the largest of the ogres. "Let's go help!"

"Yeah Daddy!" Two excited ogrelets shouted in agreement. "Let's help!"

"All right." The ogre named Shrek stretched his arms in front of him. He looked down at Adel with copper-brown eyes. "Where's your carriage?"

"Just up the road." Adel stated with a smile of gratification. "Should still be at the crossroad." She hopped on the step -used to get into the carriage- and held tightly to the low-cut doorway of the onion carriage.

"Driver…" Shrek looked at the gnome. "Let's get down to the crossroads."

"Yes Sir Shrek." The gnome tipped his hat and clicked his reins against the white stallion's flanks.

The onion carriage lurched to a start and continued down the heavily furrowed road.

"So who are you anyways?" The donkey enquired.

Adel smiled and pushed her tiara back into place with her free hand. "I'm Princess Adel Marksworth, but you can call me Adel, from the kingdom of Far Away."

"Hey, we're going to Far Away!" The boy ogrelet -with a small head of dark brown hair- exclaimed.

"No we're not." The other boy ogrelet -without any hair at all- corrected. "We're going to Far Far Away."

"With Uncle Artie and Grandma!" The girl ogrelet cheered happily.

"Uncle Artie and Grandma?" Adel raised an eyebrow curiously.

The female ogre chuckled lightly. "My mother's the queen of Far Far Away." She stated, pushing back some of her red bangs from her silver-green eyes. "And my cousin's the new king of Far Far Away." She smiled softly. "By these guys call him Uncle Artie…"

"Oh." Adel smiled. "Then you must be Princess Fiona." She stated.

"Yes, I am." The ogress smiled. "This is my husband, Shrek." She placed her hand over top the larger ogre's hand. "This is a good family friend of ours, Donkey." Fiona acknowledged the donkey sitting in the back of the carriage. "And these are our children;" She smiled proudly. "Liam." She pointed to the bald ogrelet. "Kathryn," She pointed to the girl ogrelet. "And Harold…" She quickly caught the boy ogrelet, who was about to leap out of the moving carriage.

"Nice to meet you Princess Adel!" The ogrelets and Donkey smiled kindly to the princess.

Adel laughed at their genuine friendliness. "It's very nice to meet you all, too." She looked up the uneven road. "That's our carriage up ahead." She stated, pointing at the still stranded carriage.

* * *

The eldest princess hopped off of the onion carriage's step near the door as soon as it came to a halt at the edge of the crossroads. She hurried up to her parents.

"Mother, father," She nodded respectfully to her parents. "I've got us some help for our busted wheel."

"Help?" The twins looked wide-eyed from behind the king and queen's legs.

"Yes." Adel smiled softly. "Sir Shrek and Princess Fiona are also heading to Far Far Away, and just by luck, they're prepared to help us with this broken wheel."

"Oh how wonderful!" Queen Ophelia exclaimed delightedly. "We'll be back on the road in no time with some extra hands."

"What is it they want in return?" King Fredrick asked suspiciously.

"Well." Adel shrugged. "Try to be respectful." She looked down at her twin sisters. "They have three young ogrelets with them, and I don't think anyone would want any arguments related to ogre-human relations." She stated firmly.

"Yes, of course." King Fredrick nodded in agreement. "We should be grateful for their help."

"Henry, Antony." Adel stepped up to the two carriage drivers. "I've got us some extra help, not because I think that you guys can't do it yourself, but because it'll make everything get back on track much more quickly with some extra hands." She looked down at the two dark auburn-haired brothers. "Be kind -ogres or not- this family's also royalty, and you two are ambassadors to all of Far Away's carriage drivers."

"Yes, Princess Adel." They responded with courteous bows.

Adel smiled softly and turned to her younger sisters. "Come on you two." She took each of them by the hand and gently led them towards the ogre family. "Sir Shrek and Princess Fiona have three kids, who are probably the same age as you two, maybe a little younger." She tried not to force her sisters into a situation that they'd be scared to enter. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind having someone to play with." Adel suggested. "Wouldn't that be nice?" She looked her two sisters in their identical beetle black eyes.

"Um…" They rubbed the backs of their heads. "Maybe…"

"Exactly." Adel agreed. "Now come one, there's no need to be shy."

* * *

"Okay you three." Fiona hopped out of the onion carriage. "Go out and stretch you legs." She smiled softly to her ogrelets and helped each of them out of the carriage.

"Yay! Playtime!" All three ogrelets shouted enthusiastically. Liam seemed to be more excited that they weren't in the onion carriage for much longer.

"Yeah! Playtime!" Donkey shouted. He lightly leapt down from the carriage.

"Will you supervise them, Donkey?" Fiona asked.

The eccentric quadruped rolled his chocolate-brown eyes knowingly. "Of course, Princess." Donkey nodded as Harold and Kathryn hopped onto his back. "You can count of me…" He winked and galloped off.

Fiona chuckled as Shrek hopped down from the onion carriage. "Come on Shrek, let's go help them with their carriage."

"Yes Honey." Shrek gently planted a small kiss on his wife's temple and walked over to the Marksworth's carriage.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Forgetting about the ball coming up for now, let's see what poor Artie's thinking and how the twins react to the triplets!

It'll be great fun!

**Manga Girl #6**


	8. Fast Friends

**Author's Note:**

Now how's poor Artie doing?

* * *

Despite it being a _special occasion_, Artie managed to get out of wearing most of the 'too-thick' regal robes and only had to get his bangs trimmed. He arrived in the dining hall on time for breakfast -because of his cooperation- wearing; his royal crown, a grass-green long-sleeved shirt underneath his vest-like dark green and yellow trimmed tunic, a gold buckled belt at his waist, a pair of dark gold tights, and a pair of relatively comfortable knee-high leather boots (without any heels on them, to his relief). He sat at the head of the table and smiled to his aunt.

"Well Arthur." Lillian sighed and wiped off the lavender-scented water from her fingertips gently. "Today's the day all of the princesses arrive."

"Yeah." Artie smoothed the front of his tunic. "And hopefully everyone else will arrive today." He stated.

"I believe that Dragon and her five children have just flown in." Queen Lillian observed collectedly as six shadows passed by the main window into the dining room.

There was a familiar roar of a red dragon outside the castle's walls, accompanied by five chirping giggles.

Arthur waited for breakfast to begin being served before he prepared himself for the worse. The worse being five sheep-dog-sized, seven-year-old dronkeys tackling him out of his chair and piling on top of him.

"Uncle Artie! Uncle Artie!" Five excited voice chirped simultaneously.

Artie laughed heartily, rolling out from under the five dronkeys' hold.

"Uncle Artie, Uncle Artie! I can breath fire almost as long as mommy can!" Éclair exclaimed, her bright green eyes glowing in pyro-fanatic excitement. She sat nearest to the fireplace, happily watching the wood crackle and snap.

"That's great, Éclair." Artie smiled nervously, getting back into his chair.

"Uncle Artie, Uncle Artie!" Banana yelped, the youngest boy in the dronkey bunch. "I flew halfway here by myself." He sat in the seat beside Artie and across from Lillian.

"Great job, Banana." Artie encouraged self-confidence in the young boy dronkey, knowing that his wings were a little underdeveloped compared to his siblings.

"Uncle Artie, Uncle Artie! Look at me fly!" Parfait whooped happily. He rapidly flew in circles around the chandelier in the dining room.

"Wow, Parfait." Artie tried to keep watch of the speedy blur. "You might want to come down before you get us all dizzy."

"Okay Uncle Artie." Parfait stopped flying in circles and took his seat beside his youngest brother.

"Uncle Artie…" Cocoa daintily walked to the table and politely sat down beside Queen Lillian. "I learned how to roar loud enough to shatter windows." She smirked mischievously.

"That's great, Cocoa…" Artie rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Just don't do it in the castle."

"I learnt that too Uncle Artie!" Peanut mimicked Cocoa's walk mockingly and sat down beside Éclair with a smug smirk. "Except I'm not as much of a loudmouth as Cocoa..." He stated.

Cocoa growled dangerously at the younger brother who turned his head away from her.

"So." Artie looked around. "Where's Donkey?"

"Daddy's going on a road trip with Uncle Shrek and Aunt Fiona." Cocoa stated for all of them.

"Oh." Artie laughed weakly. "Then he'll be coming later on too."

"Yep!" The dronkeys exclaimed simultaneously.

There was a bit of a silence as everyone dug into his or her portion of breakfast.

"Fire…" Éclair stated psychotically; roasting half of her plate of food into ash.

* * *

"Hi." Iris and Harriet greeted the three ogrelets nervously.

Kathryn and Harold looked up from where they sat on Donkey's back. "Hi!" They responded cheerfully.

"Wanna play?" Iris suggested.

"Sure!" Harold and Kathryn hopped off of Donkey's back and pulled Iris off to 'their side' of the small clearing by the crossroad.

"What'cha looking for?" Harriet timidly asked Liam, who was looking through the cattails for something.

"Um…" Liam turned around, his cheeks darkening from embarrassment. "N-Nothing." He stated.

"Are there frogs in there?" Harriet jumped beside Liam, eagerly looking for the hidden _friends_ among the pond's muddy edge.

"I think so." Liam avoided looking directly in Harriet's eyes. "M-Maybe…"

"Hmm…" Harriet thought. She pushed the short puffed sleeves of her periwinkle dress up to her shoulders and dove her hands agilely below the surface of the water. Harriet skilfully grasped onto something and lifted it to eye-level.

A large bullfrog gapped at her and Liam with huge bulging eyes, croaked loudly, and then hopped from Harriet's hands back into the pond.

"Oh ponytails." She pouted and turned to Liam. "It got away."

"Let's see if we can get it again." Liam offered. He hopped lightly onto a rock in the centre of the pond and beckoned for Harriet to follow him.

* * *

"There…" Shrek gently placed the carriage back onto the road. "Done…"

"Thanks so much, Sir Shrek!" Henry wiped the sweat that had developed on his forehead from the work.

"Yeah." Antony chirped excitedly. "You're a really lifesaver!"

"I'm just helping." Shrek stated, gaining a smirk from his wife.

"Thank you very much Sir Shrek." King Fredrick smiled approvingly up at the male ogre.

Suddenly there were two loud splashes from behind them. Adel and Donkey looked through the cattails for the two pond excursionists.

Liam and Harriet ungracefully toppled out of the cattails into the grass clearing, sopping wet from head to toe, and they were in pursuit of two particularly large bullfrogs. After a few attempts, the two children claimed their prizes and cheered in victory, holding the huge bullfrogs in their hands.

"A Frog!" Liam and Harriet called out happily.

The fathers shook their heads in disbelief and the mothers chuckled at the youthful pleasures. The other two ogrelets cheered alongside Harriet and Liam, while Iris kept her distance from her now-muddy sister who was holding a 'creepy' animal. Adel laughed heartedly at the children's antics, and gently escorted them to their mothers.

After changing Harriet into a cleaner –and drier- dress that was a darker periwinkle, and changing Liam into another pair of brown trousers, dark brown vest and light yellow shirt; the two families happily got into their appropriate carriages, with the hoods of the carriages down, and rode alongside each other down the furrowed road to Far Far Away.

* * *

Artie couldn't help but worry about his friends' tardiness. Though it was barely past lunchtime at all, most of the princesses had already arrived, greeted him and his aunt, and then taken their accommodations within the castle.

Puss and Aunt Lillian had their share of worrying, but it wasn't as uptight as Artie's. Most of the time they were reassuring the young king of the soon arrival.

Artie took a few walks through his palace gardens, and then got a short walk –unguarded- down by the royal docks. He had personally christened a few maiden voyages, to the unknown lands beyond Far Far Away, from here.

Currently he sat on the dock, on which he was supposed to arrive to Far Far Away a little over five years ago, to become king, had he not crashed a certain Viking's ship on an isolated shore.

He sat at the edge of a dock, listening to the gentle slapping of the sea's waves against the stone of the pier while his feet hung barefooted inches above the sea's frothing surface. A cool and calm breeze circulated the shoreline of the sea, tussling Artie's sandy-blonde bangs.

Out here… in the calm of the sea, by the churning waters, Artie could think and be at peace.

Why there were salty tears slipping from his light green eyes, he himself didn't know. Sometimes his true self was more complex than his duty as king… sometimes.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I feel that I'm making Artie cry too much… but really, when you look at it, he's kind of still mourning for the Princess of Scotland's sudden death and all of the unexpected pressure that finding a new queen in -at most- three weeks has now come to realization to him.

So that's basically why Artie cries so much.

**Manga Girl #6**


	9. Adrenalene Rush

**Author's Note:**

And now, to get everyone important into Far Far Away!

* * *

Two carriages, one onion-esque; filled with ogres and a talking donkey, the other navy-blue; filled with the royal family of the kingdom of Far Away, exited the small amount of forest and came up to the arched entrance of the Kingdom of Far Far Away.

The five young children, and Donkey, all jumped up and down with excitement. All of the adults soaked up the splendour of the prestigious kingdom while Adel just sat silently.

She was nearly dumb-founded from the beauty of the tropical kingdom. Not that her own kingdom wasn't as esteemed, there was just a fine line between the two kingdoms.

To her, Far Far Away seemed much more glamorous and glitzy compared to Far Away's more quaint and comfortable kingdom.

But from the polished cobblestone path of the main street –Romeo Drive- to the three-story high palm trees that separated the two sides of the street, Princess Adel Marksworth couldn't deny that everything here was indeed magnificent.

The two carriages rode up the main street to a grand castle perched in the centre of large rolling hills. A fresh summer breeze guided them up the hill, until they were in the circular main courtyard of Far Far Away's castle. Messengers were quickly sent out to find their king, in order to inform them of the two carriages' arrival.

* * *

"Señor?" Puss ran down to the docks, reaching Artie's side before any of the runners.

"Yeah." Artie swiftly wiped his eyes casually, as if he had something in them.

"The last princess and her family are here." He stated. "As well as everyone else."

"They're here?" Artie's pale green eyes lit up at the thought of his friends. He quickly leapt up from the dock, haphazardly pulling on his knee-high boots and he ran down the docks towards his castle.

* * *

The ogres, Donkey and the Marksworth family all walked through the front doors of the castle into the polished throne room. Soft coloured light filtered through the stained glass into the room, giving it a warm and inviting environment.

A long red rug ran the length of the throne room from its entrance up to the base of the thrones themselves.

Queen Lillian stood from her right-handed throne at the sight of her only daughter and the rest of her ogre family. She smiled softly.

"Grandma!" The three ogrelets shouted excitedly.

They ran to the throne into their grandmother's opened arms. The calm queen chuckled at her grandchildren's enthusiasm; she hadn't seen them since they had visited when they were two years old.

Fiona followed her children's lead and hugged her mother tightly. "Hi Mom…" She smiled.

"It's so good to see you all." Lillian smiled genuinely.

"Where's Artie?" Donkey asked, looking around the throne room for the young king.

Queen Lillian smiled softly. "Puss and some runners went out to look for him a few minutes ago." She stated. "He should be back soon."

As if on cue, Artie ungracefully slid into the throne room. He cleared his throat nervously, straightened his emerald and gold crown and smoothed the wrinkles out of the front of his dark green tunic that was trimmed in a light yellow.

"Sorry I'm late." He stated apologetically.

"Uncle Artie!" The three ogrelets rushed into Artie's arms.

The young king chuckled. "Wow, you've guys have grown." Artie stood up to his full height and measured the ogrelets' height up to his hip with his hand. "Soon you guys will be almost as tall as me." He smirked.

The ogrelets giggled. They basically strapped themselves to Artie's legs, refusing to let go.

Artie laughed nonchalantly and walked over to the throne as best he could with all of the ogrelets' weight on his feet.

Adel couldn't help but smile at the young king's good-heartedness. It was a quality that she admired in anyone she met. Harriet and Iris giggled at their new friends' silliness, they could tell that _Uncle Artie_ was going to be almost as fun to play with as Adel.

Slowly the Marksworth family proceeded in front of the throne. Fiona and Shrek had managed to pull their children off of Artie's legs.

"Queen Lillian, King Arthur." King Fredrick stood up formally. "I am King Fredrick Marksworth of the kingdom of Far Away." He nodded respectfully to each royal. "This is my wife, Ophelia."

"A pleasure to meet you." Ophelia curtseyed to the monarchs.

"These are my youngest daughters, Iris and Harriet." King Fredrick continued.

"Hi." Harriet and Iris curtseyed politely to Queen Lillian and King Arthur.

"And this is my eldest daughter… Adel." King Fredrick introduced the reddish-brunette princess.

"A pleasure to meet you." Adel smiled softly and curtseyed to the two sovereigns.

"The pleasure is all mine." Arthur bowed to the princess. He straightened up and smiled warmly to all of his guests. "No doubt you must have all had a long journey." He stated. "Allow my servants to show you to your rooms, I apologize, but I have some business to attend to for the ball."

"Naturally." Fredrick agreed.

"I hope to see you all at dinner." Arthur bowed respectfully before leaving the throne room to work on the ball's last minute arrangements.

"Yay, bouncing mattresses!" The ogrelets happily cheered.

The adults chuckled at the ogrelets gusto and they followed the group of servants to their nightly accommodations. Adel paused a moment at the exit of the throne room to look back at the spot where the young king had stood with the three ogrelets latched to his legs. This King Arthur Pendragon certainly wasn't the snobby, arrogant dunderhead she was expecting. The young woman smiled softly; she found the surprising difference to her liking…

* * *

"And this is your own room, Miss Marksworth." A timid maid showed Adel to a comfortably sized room, directly beside her sisters' bedroom and across from her parent's bedroom.

"Please, call me Adel." The blue-eyed princess implored as she set down her small bag of clothing. "Miss Marksworth makes me feel kind of…" She paused to clear her throat. "…Old."

The maid giggled at Adel's honesty. "My, you princesses are _all_ really different." She gently set down the rest of Adel's luggage at the door of the bedroom. "Is there anything I can get you, Adel?" She asked.

"Nothing at the moment." Adel sighed and opened the windows of her room, letting in the bright summer sunshine. "Thank you."

The maid curtseyed respectfully and gently closed Adel's bedroom door behind her as she left the princess alone in the room. Adel sighed, looking around her bedroom.

A canopy bed with a thick navy-blue duvet on it and many plush pillows was at the centre of the room; its sheer canopy was tied back. There was a white wardrobe in the corner of the room, waiting emptily to be filled with her clothing as well as pair of identical white nightstands at each side of the canopy bed, each with a small table lamp on them shaded in light blue.

By the door, there was a white vanity with an elegant oval-shaped mirror with a short blue-cushioned stool daintily tucked beneath it. Around the room there were some white-wooded chairs with blue cushions on them, and a blue-cushioned window seat at the two arched windows.

Adel smiled, inhaling the fresh summer air, and gently placed her luggage on the top of her mattress. A few birds chirped as they rested in their nests, either for late afternoon naps or for an early supper of bugs. Suddenly five loud chirps squealed from the outside, but they weren't the sounds of any birds Adel had ever heard. She looked out one of the opened windows curiously.

Then she heard a loud roar from below her. The reddish-brown-haired princess nearly jumped from surprised, but collectedly leaned out her window overlooking the main courtyard at the front of the castle.

They were five tiny figures fluttering around what appeared to be a large red dragon. Adel gapped in amazement at the might of the creature. She heard two familiar shouts of joy below her, and seen her two sisters running down the stairs into the courtyard, completely oblivious of the red dragon's presence.

* * *

Adel gasped; she quickly dropped everything she was holding and burst out of her room. She quickly rushed by some servants, down the long hallways of to guests' rooms, and arrived at the front hall before the polished courtyard. They were nearly hundreds of servants arranging furniture and planning the front hall for the ball.

King Arthur and his aunt, Queen Lillian, stood at the middle landing of the grand staircase. They were browsing through a variety of materials and decorations for the ball and making appropriate choices.

Adel hurried past them, and sat down on the large, spiralling marble banister of the grand staircase. She pushed herself off, ignoring the strange looks the servants gave her.

"Princess Adel?" The two monarchs asked quizzically as Adel landed lightly beside them at the mid-level landing of the grand staircase.

"I'm afraid I can't stay and chat, I've got to save my sisters from a dragon …" She explained quickly through pants, she curtseyed and hopped on the last banister. Then she rushed through the front hallway, dodging servants and furniture.

"Well." Queen Lillian was almost lost for words. "She certainly is an… eccentric princess." She stated.

Arthur chuckled in agreement.

* * *

If anything that being Iris and Harriet's older sister had definitely given Adel, it was the endurance to chase them anywhere, under any circumstances. All six years of the twins' life, since Adel had been fourteen years old, she had watched over the twins and protected them; no matter what.

Adel hopped down the steps into the main courtyard two at a time until she was in speaking reach of her sisters. "Iris… Harriet…" She paused and panted.

"Del-Del!" Iris and Harriet yelled happily to their older sister.

"Uncle Donkey's wife Aunt Dragon is really nice." Iris stated.

"And we have five new friends too!" Harriet called. "Cocoa, Peanut, Parfait, Éclair, and Bananas."

Adel groaned irritably and sat down on a marble bench. She felt her adrenaline rush, from thinking that her sisters were –once again- in mortal danger, quickly fade away.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well, now that we're in Far Far Away, the ball isn't that far far away now is it?

**Manga Girl #6**


	10. Feeling Under the Weather

**Author's Note:**

Hmm, now something to fill the time until the ball…

* * *

Adel stayed among her sisters and Donkey's family in the courtyard until the sky began to grow dark from the late setting sun.

A runner came out from the palace, ignoring the shock of Dragon's appearance in the courtyard, and asked them to dinner.

"Oh Boy!" Donkey and his five children yelped excitedly. Harriet and Iris agreed delightedly with their newfound friends.

"And you, milady?" The runner raised an eyebrow at Adel.

"Please inform King Arthur and Queen Lillian that I will not be attending tonight's dinner, for I am feeling under the weather, and I send my apologies." Adel instructed the runner. She pressed a small silver coin into his palm.

"Yes milady." The runner bowed curtly and then left the courtyard to give Arthur and Lillian his message.

"But, you don't look sick at all Adel." Donkey stated, examining the young woman.

Adel chuckled weakly. "One doesn't need to be sick to feel under the weather." She responded.

"Aw…" The seven young children groaned.

"But Del-Del." Harriet looked up at her older sister with her big beetle black eyes. "They're serving you favourite dessert tonight."

Adel smirked. "They _are_ aren't they?" She narrowed her bright blue eyes playfully. "Then you guys will just have to share my portion of dessert amongst each other." Adel collectedly walked from the courtyard towards the steps down to the palace's docks.

"But Del-Del!" The children called to the cream-dressed princess.

But it was too late, for Adel had disappeared silently into the shadows of the night, leaving the twins, Donkey, Dragon and the five dronkeys standing in the courtyard.

* * *

Arthur had to admit, he was usually okay around a lot of people. It was one of the skills that had developed since he had to convince a band of villains not to kill him and his friends.

However, after much time dining just with himself and his aunt Lillian, this was a lot of people for the castle's dining room.

There was him at the head of the table, with Aunt Lillian at his right hand and Shrek at his left hand.

Then there was Fiona, Liam, Kathryn, and Harold beside Shrek.

Donkey and his five dronkies; Éclair, Parfait, Cocoa, Peanut and Banana sat beside _most_ of the Marksworth family, which was; King Fredrick, Queen Ophelia, Harriet and Iris who all sat beside Lillian.

Beside Harold was Princess Siobhan from Ireland with her seven older brothers; Lukas, Jarred, Steven, Cain, Harry, James, and Brent; and Princess Siobhan's parents, the King and Queen of Ireland.

The three princesses of Far Far Away; Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, with each of their husbands; Chad, Michael, and Murray (who went by the name: Ray) beside Iris.

Next to Ray was Princess Betsy from Holland, her younger sister Hilda, her mother Queen Helga of Holland, and her father the King of Holland.

Near the end of the table was Princess Gertrude of New Duloc, her parents; the King and Queen of New Duloc on Shrek's side and Princess Anita from Spain, her little brother Pedro and her parents; the King and Queen of Spain.

There were forty-four people, all in King Arthur's dining hall, and yet there was one princess who wasn't present amongst them.

A runner silently entered into the noisy dining hall after the first course was served. He knelt down on one knee before King Arthur respectfully and delivered Adel's message to him.

Arthur nodded, noting the princess' absence, and sighed. He continued eating his dinner, trying not to be driven to madness from the loud ambient buzz now installed in the dining hall.

The faster this meal was over, the quicker the ball would come, and hopefully, the quicker he would have a marriage arranged and the faster most of these loud people would return to their kingdoms.

* * *

The waxing gibbous moon and clear night sky's starlight lit a small pathway down to the beach by Far Far Away's royal boat docks. The smooth faces of the cliffs surround in the sea's bay were bleached chalk white by the natural light.

Adel kept her eyes peeled for any hidden dangers as she walked serenely along the stone pier. She walked the length of the stone docks curving around the natural bend of the sea's bay. Adel sat down at the end of one of the piers, out by Far Far Away's lighthouse. The princess closed her bright blue eyes, breathing in the fresh and salty perfume of the sea's air through her nostrils. She calmly opened her eyes and felt small tears well up in them.

What if her parents arranged her into a marriage with Arthur? Though she herself had until September to find a husband, she could tell by the sudden need for eligible brides and the ball, that Arthur didn't have a similar amount of time.

She wasn't crying because she didn't want to marry Arthur and become queen of Far Far Away… no, she was crying because if she didn't marry Arthur and retained her pickiness for suitors, then she'd be in the same pickle in a few months, when she neared that last few days of being twenty years of age.

Adel tried to find a bright side to this. If her parents _did_ arrange her marriage with Arthur, she would keep her word and do it for the good of her kingdom to start anew and balance off the two kingdoms' previous hatred. She would make her parents proud.

And besides… -she blushed a little at this thought- no woman in her right mind could deny that King Arthur was handsome, and –as Adel saw it- he seemed to be a polite, good-hearted young gentleman with decent values. He was much better than all of the wooing men -who had all persistently tried for her hand in marriage- combined.

The troubled princess sighed and rested against the smooth top of the stone pier. She coolly wiped the diminutive tears from her bright blue eyes and looked up at the night sky.

The stars shone like twinkling diamonds against their dark blue-purple canvas.

* * *

"Where's Del-Del?" Liam whispered to Harriet as soon as they were dismissed from the dining table.

"She's not feeling well…" Harriet whispered back.

"Hey you guys." Artie knelt down to the ogrelet and princess' eye-level.

"Yes Uncle Artie?" Liam asked quizzically.

"What is it?" Harriet titled her head to the side.

"I understand that Princess Adel's not feeling well." He looked at them in the eye. "What wrong?"

Harriet shrugged. "Del-Del wasn't sick."

"But she _did_ go down the stairs to the boat place." Liam stated. "I think she's still down there."

Arthur thought collectively to himself for a moment. The royal docks and its beachside could get pretty dangerous and not just by bandits. If anyone down their –who didn't know the place- wasn't paying attention for any given moment, they could very possibly get badly injured.

"Are you going to check on Del-Del?" Harriet enquired softly.

"Well…" Arthur sighed. "I'm going to see if there's anything I can help her with." He smiled gently to the children. "I think you two can play for a few minutes before bedtime, but stay inside the castle."

"Okay…" Harriet agreed cheerfully.

"Bye Uncle Artie!" Liam yelped, then he turned and ran off through the castle with his new best friend.

Arthur nodded determinedly, stood up straight and walked over to his aunt Lillian. "I'm just going out for an evening stroll." He stated; he pulled on his green knee-length cloak, fastening it at his shoulders to his tunic with twin gold lions' head clips that had tiny emeralds for eyes. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He shrugged, turned on the heel of his boot and left the dining room.

* * *

Fiddlesworth, who was itching to scorn Artie for something that wasn't entirely kingly, met him in the front hall, leading out to the palace's grounds.

"Your highness I-" Fiddlesworth was cut off when Arthur raised a palm for silence.

"Fiddlesworth this is neither the time nor place to discuss anything." Arthur stated clearly. "I have an issue to address at the moment."

Fiddlesworth frowned slightly. "Then is there anything I can assist you with, my liege?" He narrowed his brown eyes in annoyance.

"Just get this crown polished for tomorrow evening." Arthur said simply as he plucked off his crown and handed it to Fiddlesworth. "That will be all, Fiddlesworth."

"Yes, your majesty." Fiddlesworth bowed at his middle to Arthur, who turned away from him and left the front hall to the palace docks.

* * *

Arthur carefully walked down the stone steps to the palace's docks. The light of the moon lit up most of the pathway that he already knew. Sooner than later, Arthur arrived at docks. He looked around; Adel wasn't sitting at any of the closer docks.

He turned, almost ready to leave, when he spotted a pale-dressed figurine sitting at the edge of the farthest dock, its was oblivious to his presence.

Slowly he walked towards it, and then he seen some dark figures stealthily approaching the pale-dressed person.

"Bandits." Arthur whispered under his breath. He picked up his pace, wishing he had brought his sword along with him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Tell me if I miscounted the total number of people at the dinner table, because I'm not _too_ sure about it.

**Manga Girl #6**


	11. Down By The Docks

**Author's Note:**

Hmm…

* * *

Adel looked up from the churning waters as she heard many people approaching. She turned around, standing from her spot and gasped when she saw a large group of angry thugs. Their hungry eyes watched her ravenously as the swiftly closed the space between each other and the princess.

* * *

Arthur reached the end of the boat dock as quickly as he could. The palely dressed person was trying to take on many bandits at once and losing much zeal. Arthur quickly disabled as many bandits as he could without his sword, before he heard a splash.

The palely dressed person was nowhere to be found, but judging by a cackling bandit at the stone pier's edge, the palely dressed person had likely been pushed into the sea.

The young king knocked out the last standing bandit, cast off his cloak –to avoid drowning from its additional weight- and dove beneath the foaming waves of the chilling sea.

* * *

"Mommy." Harriet looked up at her mother as she was tucked into her bed. "I'm worried about Del-Del…"

"And why is that, honey?" Ophelia asked one of her daughters.

"Well she's _'feeling under the weather'_." Harriet repeated her older sister's words. "But she's not sick."

Ophelia chuckled lightly. "Well I'm sure your elder sister is just feeling a little pressured by this ball that's coming up tomorrow." She gently kissed Harriet on her forehead.

"But _Uncle Artie_ went out to go and check on her at the boat place." Harriet stated simply. "To see if he could help her."

Ophelia froze where she stood in the doorway.

"Mommy." This time it was Iris who spoke. "Isn't the boat place dangerous? Especially at night time."

Ophelia gulped and collected her wits. "Mommy's going to wait and see if Del-Del is alright…" She stated blankly. "You two please get to sleep, we have a big day tomorrow." Queen Ophelia glanced over her shoulder at her twin daughters. "Good night, my darlings."

"Good night Mommy!" Iris and Harriet exclaimed, snuggling deep below the covers of their beds.

Ophelia slowly walked out of the twins' bedroom, faint-heartedly closing the door behind her.

* * *

Arthur quickly reached the palely-dressed person while going with the sea's current. The person seemed to be capable of swimming on his or her own, but the strong current of the sea was fighting against them.

"Take my hand!" Arthur ordered.

The person coughed out some salty seawater from their lungs, lunged forwards through the water and quickly grasped Arthur's extended hand tightly.

* * *

"I'm telling you Fredrick." Ophelia paced her and her husband's room, panicky from worry. "Our eldest daughter used to go swimming at night in the lake by our palace when she was younger, and now she's gone off and is going to get killed in the sea."

"Now, now, my love…" Fredrick tried to calmly correct his fretting wife. "Adel only ever climbed rocks _by_ the lake by our palace. To look at the stars and to think to herself." Fredrick remembered his daughter trying to explain her nightly escapes to him. "She only ever _went swimming_ when it was a fairly warm night, much warmer than tonight, so she's likely to be all right."

"All right?" Ophelia hollered. "All right?" She stomped up to her husband angrily. "Are you sane, Fredrick?"

King Fredrick raised an eyebrow. "Are _you_ sane, my love?" He asked bluntly.

* * *

Arthur and the palely dressed person fought zealously against the sea's horrendous current and eventually reached the stone pier.

Artie tiredly pulled himself up onto the dock where his cape lay and looked at the other person, who weakly rolled beside him onto the stone dock.

The other person –who been pushed from the pier- was clearly female, but her obvious figure revealed by a soaked cream-coloured dress that clung tightly to her body and the long wet hair that covered most of her pale face.

The girl pushed her fingers through her wet bangs, grasping a silver tiara and pulling it from her hair. The girl flipped the rest of her hair out of her face, revealing Adel's familiar visage.

"Princess Adel?" Artie asked, dumbstruck.

"King Arthur?" Adel's bright blue eyes widened. She self-consciously covered as much of herself as she could, both from embarrassment and from the realization that her cream-coloured dress was nearly transparent. She turned away from Arthur.

Arthur frowned at the princess' mortification. He bundled up his dry green cloak and gently placed it over her shoulders.

"Thanks…" Adel murmured weakly. She pulled the cloak tightly around herself and looked at the water slapping against the dock. The young woman pulled her feet under her and bent forwards. She scooped up something from the water and looked at it.

"What's that?" Artie asked quizzically.

"One of my shoes." Adel sighed miserably. "I fear that the other is likely lost to the sea." She frowned.

"But you're lucky that you're not lost…" The young king stated.

"Yeah." Adel smiled warmly. "Thank you for saving me." She stood up from the dock.

"You're not hurt, are you?" The young king enquired, standing beside the princess.

Adel shook her head.

Artie chuckled weakly. "Come on." He yawned; nonchalantly stretching his arms outwards. "It's late, and besides…" He cleared his throat. "You'll catch cold if you stay out any longer."

"You mean we'll catch cold if we stay out here any longer." Adel stated flatly. She softly poked the young king in the chest. "You were in that water too."

Artie smirked in agreement. "Okay, so maybe I _was_." He gently escorted Adel up the stone steps to his palace's grounds. The groaning bandits slowly began to wake up from their unconsciousness.

* * *

"For the final time, Ophelia." Fredrick grew tired of waiting in the front hall of the palace, in the dark, with his wife constantly chattering about Adel's demise. "Adel will be perfectly safe-" He was cut off when the front entrance to the palace opened and two wet figures shuffled into the warmer palace.

"Adel!" The two parents gasped.

Ophelia rushed over to her eldest daughter and pulled her tightly into her arms, planting kisses over her cheeks and forehead. "Oh my poor baby, are you hurt, what happened?"

"Its okay; Mother…" Adel tried to breathe from Ophelia's corset-tight hug. "I-I'm all right."

"What happened?" Fredrick asked calmly.

Adel sighed as her mother finally released her. She cleared her throat gently. "I was down by the docks and I fell off of one of the piers." She stated. "If Arthur hadn't heard me fall, then I'd likely be lost to the sea." She smiled weakly at Arthur, who was surprised that she could _partially_ lie so well for a princess.

"You're not hurt?" Fredrick looked over the two twenty-year-olds.

"Not at all." They both answered simultaneously.

"King Arthur." Fredrick sighed, placing a hand firmly on Arthur's shoulder. He looked over the sandy-blonde-haired king with his beetle-black eyes. "My eldest daughter's life is in your debt." The aged king smiled. "You have our gratitude, and no doubt Adel's." He removed his hand. "Thank you." King Fredrick nodded respectfully to Arthur and left the front room with Queen Ophelia.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between Adel and Artie. Adel was about to remove Arthur's green cloak from around her shoulders when Artie stopped her.

"Um, you might want to keep that…" He stated. "You know." Artie cleared his throat nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Until your dress dries up."

Adel smiled weakly. "Yeah." She looked up at the king. "Thank you… and Good Night."

The young woman eased up onto her the tips of her bared toes, gently planted a soft kiss on the young king's forehead and left the front room to her own room.

Artie smiled sheepishly, rubbed the back of his neck and sighed bashfully. He had never experienced an open display of affection from anyone that wasn't related to him in his entire life, not in this way… to say the least. A rouge blush formed across his face and he gently touched the point of tenderhearted contact.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Wow. Now here comes the ball!

**Manga Girl #6**

**P.S.**

I don't own any of these Shrek characters/settings etc

However, I DO own the kingdom of Far Away; and all of the characters I created thus far (you know who they are so please ask me before you want to use any of them in your own fictitious stories!)


	12. King Arthur's Royal Ball

**Author's Note:**

And now for the day of King Arthur's Royal Ball!

It'll be great fun…

* * *

Adel wrapped Arthur's cloak around herself. She caught the subtle aroma of salt water as well as Arthur's own scent in the cloak.

The young woman couldn't help but remember the young king's heroic actions the previous night with a fond smile. Not only had he saved her from being lost at sea, he had also effectively knocked out a entire band of thugs without a sword… that definitely wasn't something one would expect from a king as young as Arthur was or anyone Adel had in mind.

Why was she wearing Arthur's cloak? Well, she wanted to get past her mother's watchful eyes unseen. So Adel used the cloak to blend herself into the morning crowd of princesses rushing to the powder room section of the castle after breakfast, and then she broke away from the crowd to sneak out of the castle.

* * *

Once Adel was out of the castle she left the main pathway and walked upon the flower-riddled grounds. A few stray gardeners walked the grounds, greeting her in a friendly manner. She couldn't help but greet the cheerful workers back. The princess wore a long blueberry-coloured dress with loose sleeves that ended at her elbows and a pair of comfortable flat-heeled shoes.

Adel spotted a plain-looking person walking the grounds, and though he was neither gardener nor groundskeeper, passing servants greeted him too in a friendly manner. Adel increased her walking pace, catching up to the man in a loose light ivory shirt and dark green trousers.

"Excuse me…" Adel asked the man. "Could you help me with something?"

The man turned around, revealing to be none other than King Arthur himself. "Princess Adel?" He raised an eyebrow.

"King Arthur!" Adel blushed from surprise; she formally bowed to him.

Arthur chuckled. "What can I help you with?"

"Well." Adel fiddled with one of her sleeves nervously. "You were dressed down so casually, that I thought you might be one of your servants and…" She swiftly unfastened Arthur's green cloak. "I just wanted to return this to you." The young woman stated.

Arthur smiled warmly. "What a coincidence..." He reached into one of his trousers' pockets and produced Adel's missing shoe. "I was at the docks much earlier this morning, thinking to myself, when I found this."

The two royal twenty-year-olds exchanged each other's items and trekked together down the pathway.

"So exactly what _were_ you thinking about?" Adel walked beside Arthur through the palace's gardens.

"Oh." Arthur brushed his hands lightly over the tops of some short cedar shrubs. "I was just wondering why you didn't tell your parents that you were ambushed by bandits _then_ pushed into the sea, last night."

"Well." Adel level-headedly looked straight ahead. "Had I told my parents that I was attacked by bandits last night, then they would've likely thought this place was too dangerous for me and then we'd have to return to our kingdom."

"And you don't want to return to your kingdom?" Arthur enquired.

"No…" Adel sighed. "I just don't want to leave this kingdom just yet." She smiled softly. "Besides, it would be rude of my family to just leave before having the chance to attend your royal ball."

"Yeah." Artie rubbed the back of his crownless head. "The ball…"

Adel raised an eyebrow. "Exactly _where_ is your crown?" She asked curiously.

"It's getting polished." Artie stated with a shrug. "For tonight at least."

"Hmm…" Adel smiled as she looked over the young man. "You look at much more ease without your crown and in such plainer attire, King Arthur."

"You can call me Artie if you want, Princess Adel." The pale green-eyed man stated.

"Likewise you can just call me Adel." She smiled softly.

"Sounds fair to me." Artie smiled youthfully.

They paused and smiled friendlily at each other.

Suddenly, two loud calls sounded from the castle; breaking the pleasant silence. One was Fiddlesworth's echoing call. The other's shrilled call was Adel's assigned head maid, Madam Christine, who –like Fiddlesworth- had already made herself know over the few hours of the day to nag a lot about Adel's behaviour when comparing it to regular princess-like conduct.

Artie and Adel sighed miserably.

"I'll see you at lunch, Adel." Artie smiled faintly.

"Until then, Artie." Adel smiled back.

The two royal members parted ways at the front entrance of the castle, led by their head servants.

* * *

Madam Christine wasn't going to bother starting Adel's dressing up for the ball until after lunch. However, she did insist that Adel should stay inside to avoid the summer sunlight from _ruining_ her pale complexion, as pale complexions were _'very in'_.

Also that Adel wasn't advised to play with any of the children to avoid any blood rushing to her cheeks and a number of ridiculous requests for the princess that basically gave her the only option of staying in her room with the curtains closed using minimal movement.

It was at this point that Adel dearly wished she had Arthur's cloak again to sneak out of the castle once more. To her, Arthur's cloak was a convenient escape into the natural world that she loved.

* * *

Arthur paced his room. Fiddlesworth arranged a large array of servants; all planning for the ball, leaving his master to his own thoughts.

Sunlight flooded in from the opened windows accompanied by a gentle summer breeze that fluttered the thick emerald-coloured curtains.

Occasionally one of the dronkeys would fly into the room through the window to ask the young king a random, irrelevant question.

* * *

Hours passed, lunch passed and finally all of the princesses began preparing for the evening dinner at the royal ball. Excitement and anxiousness were in the air of the castle. There was a simplistic demand to get every element precise.

But Princess Adel Marksworth did not share such enthusiasm...

The aforementioned princess was presently standing next to naked –though covered by undergarments and a light blue slip- standing casually as she could behind a decorated screen while Madame Christine and her band of servants worked at securing her corset.

"Can't you loosen it a _bit_?" Adel's voice squeaked high-pitched at the end of her request as two servants pulled both laces to her corset.

"No, no, no, no!" Madame Christine tapped her thick manicured fingernails against her brightly polished teeth and shook her head disapprovingly. "She should not be able to breathe much." She barked a few orders in her native tongue to her sides' servants, who scurried over to Adel to tighten the corset further.

"I can't breathe in this thing anyways!" Adel hissed through her teeth as the loyal servants tightened the corset until she could surely hear some bones crack.

"Excellent!" Madame Christine nodded approvingly.

The servants tied the last bit of the corset up with rapid expertise then backed away from the moaning princess.

"I'm not going to be able to dance if I can't breathe…" Adel growled, trying to steady herself against the decorative screen.

"And why should you dance?" Madame Christine raised a pencil-thin eyebrow. "It would flush up your face; this is very out for this time of year…" She batted her hand at the mere suggestion.

"I'd like to dance with King Arthur if I'm to arrange a marriage with him." Adel snarled irately. "If _I_ don't, then _you_'ll be out of the job…"

"Humph!" Madame Christine waved her delicate fan at her servants. "Loosen it, a _little_." She pouted.

The servants did as they were told and Adel sighed with the relieved pressure on her rib cage.

The princess inhaled generously and then looked up at her head servant with a flat expression. "Well?"

The French head servant smirked lightly. "And now: for zee hair…" Madame Christine pronounced 'hair' like 'har'. She flourished her hands overdramatically and the servants guided the princess over to the vanity. "And then zee clothing!"

* * *

Iris and Harriet Marksworth were _almost_ as irritable about getting dressed for the ball as their older sister was… and they didn't even have the pain of wearing a corset.

The twins sat grumpily at their vanities as their sets of head servants combed at the snags and knots in their light hazelnut brown hair.

Iris sat up ramrod straight on her cushioned stool, obedient and _almost_ accepting of the royal grooming.

Harriet however, pouted furiously and refused to obey the head servants as she sat unsteadily on the stool with a grumpy slouch.

* * *

Meanwhile, the male ogres of Shrek and Fiona's family were having their own royal treatment. They responded much like Artie would as they would permit a certain royal look, but it could only go so far…

Fiona and her only daughter, Kathryn, were a little more accepting of the grooming.

* * *

Hours passed and the kingdom of Far Far Away was finally ready for King Arthur's Royal Ball, as was everyone attending it.

Most of the guests were already down in the main ballroom of the castle, and opened-up courtyard with twinkling candles lighting up a polished dance floor.

A grand piano and a full band stood at the stage, playing a soft melody for the waltzing couples on the dance floor. The couples glided elegantly across the polished floor. Many of them were the High Lords and Ladies of Far Far Away; who had been introduced to the king at the start of the evening with their invites to his ball.

All of the invited princesses had come down to the ball, each as elegant and beautiful as the next, yet one princess still remained…

* * *

"Where's Del-Del?" Iris asked impatiently. She tapped her navy-blue shoe against the ground.

"Maybe she's feeling under the weather again…" Harriet suggested. She fiddled a bit with the deep periwinkle hem of her dress.

"She is taking quite much time." Queen Ophelia Marksworth gnawed at her bottom lip nervously.

"Maybe the Scary Lady who dresses her isn't finished yet." Harriet suggested once more, hardly being heard by anyone.

"I do wonder where she is…" King Fredrick Marksworth speculated aloud. "However, let's just continue into the ball ourselves. I'm sure Adel will come down when she's prepared.

Little did the Marksworth family know; that the twenty-year old Adel was close by.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

THE BALL!

**Manga Girl #6**


	13. Cliché Fairytale Scene

**Author's Note:**

Chapter Thirteen.

I guess that would be _about_ the halfway point of this story…

* * *

Princess Adel Marksworth peered past the lengthy dark green curtain she hid behind. She was at the top of the marble staircase; which lead down into the opened courtyard. The royal ball was just below, literally but she was a little too squeamish to join in on the festivities.

She backed away from the curtain until she hit someone with her back. Adel turned around immediately.

"Sorry." She apologized instinctively.

"There's no need to apologize…" A voice stated.

* * *

Adel looked at the voice's owner. It was the Princess of Ireland herself, Princess Siobhan. She looked over with cheerful green eyes and she smooth a pale hand back through her cropped red hair.

"Why aren't you at the party?" Siobhan raised an eyebrow. Though she was quite a few years younger than Adel, she had the charisma of someone mature and prepared.

"Likewise." Adel stated. She looked over the group surrounding Siobhan.

Surrounding the younger princess was all seven of her older brothers: Lukas, Jarred, Steven, Cain, Harry, James, and Brent.

Siobhan laughed nonchalantly. "My older brothers and I were _just_ going into the party." She smiled warmly. "I'm just giving them a pep talk about the rules and such." The Irish-borne princess giggled nervously. "After all... we don't want to get busted _the moment_ we walk in."

"Okay…" Adel sighed.

"Anyways..." Siobhan shooed away her seven older brothers. "Enjoy the party, boys."

"YEAH!" The seven older princes hollered loudly and they charged down the stairs to go find some ladies… and some alcoholic beverages.

* * *

"So." Siobhan folded her arms over her chest. "What's keeping _you_?" She asked.

"Aren't you the least bit nervous?" Adel demanded.

"Nope." The seventeen-year-old princess flicked some of her loose bangs from her eyes. "I'm assuming that you mean about King Arthur." She raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Well... I've already got a beau back at home, so…" Siobhan smiled warmly. "So hey, I'm not really that concerned about my parents trying to marry me off."

Adel gave the younger princess an odd look. "Then… exactly _why_ are you here?" She asked.

"Well." Siobhan chuckled heartedly. "I didn't want to be rude and reject the invite, besides…" She smiled genuinely. "One: I love travelling and Two: I love partying." Siobhan glanced at the tastefully decorated ballroom and then looked back at Adel. "So that's why I came here…" She shrugged at the older princess nonchalantly. "Come on…" Siobhan motioned towards the stairs that lead down to the ballroom. "You're going to miss the party if you stay up here."

Then the Princess of Ireland turned away and skipped light-heartedly down the stairs to join her party-going siblings. Adel sighed but allowed a small smile to appear on her lips.

* * *

The aforementioned king was patrolling the front of the music-playing stage. He glanced over the heads of the dancing couples, looking for someone.

"Looking for someone, Artie?" Shrek's voice spoke the young king's thoughts smugly.

"Maybe…" The twenty-year-old man narrowed his pale green eyes at the older ogre. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing." Shrek stated, looking ahead with an all-knowing smirk on his green face.

"Shouldn't you be dancing with you _wife_, Shrek?" Artie raised an eyebrow.

Shrek shrugged. "She's dancing with the kids…"

The ogre motioned nonchalantly at the quartet of ogres dancing together in the centre of the polished dance floor. Donkey, the Dronkeys, Iris and Harriet had also joined them.

Artie sighed, and eased his fingers through his bangs. He carefully avoided skewing his gold and emerald adorned crown, though Raoul was currently dancing with Madame Christine and Fiddlesworth was nowhere to be seen.

"So who's the girl?" Shrek asked slyly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Obviously _no one_ from my past." Artie stated a little bitterly than he wanted to.

Shrek rolled his copper-brown eyes, making a mental note to stay off of the touchy subject; at least while at the ball.

"Anyways…" The knighted ogre cleared his throat and placed his hands at his sides.

Artie looked up apologetically at his older friend. "I'm sorry, Shrek…" The sandy-blonde-haired king cleared his throat. "I guess… I still haven't gotten over _her_."

Shrek nodded. "Well… you'll just need a knockout girl to get your mind off of her."

Artie shrugged and sighed. "Maybe…" Then he looked up, and his jaw involuntarily slackened.

Shrek smirked and looked up at the parted crowd.

* * *

Much like one of those cliché fairytales or stories where a gorgeous girl enters the room; the crowd parted from the dance floor to look upon her and there was an instantaneous candle-lit spotlight appeared over her that followed her every step.

Some members of the crowd whooped, some looked at her admiringly, some greeted friendly hellos to her, and some watched her with batted breath.

"Save the best for last, eh Artie?" Shrek friendlily nudged the stunned king in the side.

Artie blinked out of his temporary stun and quickly straightened himself up. He looked the approaching princess in her bright blue eyes and smiled. The young man bowed formally to the princess. The young woman softly smiled back and complementary curtseyed.

Then the two twenty-year-olds approached each other and positioned themselves to dance. The band strung up a new piece of music and a few more candle-spotlights were lit to bathe the dance floor in warm golden light.

King Arthur wore a deep emerald-green cape that dropped to his mid-calf with a mid-thigh length tunic that was pine-green in colour with golden embroidered patterns decorating it. He wore a pair of very dark green tights that were nearly black with his shined-up knee-length boots.

Princess Adel wore a floor-length long-sleeved cyan under dress with a pair of silver shoes. Over the bright cyan fabric was a dark navy blue over dress that was trimmed in silver. Adel's reddish-brown hair was swept up in a bun that allowed her neck to be co-ordinately adorned with a short silver necklace that ended in a heart-shaped sapphire pendant.

* * *

Arthur and Adel danced across the centre of the dance floor. They watched each other's eyes carefully, as if reading directions to the next move of a dance.

The music mirrored their movements perfectly, swelling appropriately moments before a flourished spin and dying down softly when the dancers glided closely together.

After a few minutes of elegantly dancing across the polished dance floor, a few additional couples joined in on the dance and then the dancing princess and king parted ways to dance with other partners.

* * *

The night kept it's unrelenting speed. Many of the children –after dancing mainly with their parents or close family and a few times with each other- were put to bed. Soon the high lords and ladies of Far Far Away bid adieu to their monarchs and they left for the night.

It was nearly midnight and the King Arthur's royal ball was slowly simmering down.

Sleeping Beauty –though now had broken the eternal need to sleep more than usual by marriage- had left the party earlier with her husband Ray to retire to bed. Likewise her other two close friends; Cinderella and Snow White, along with their husbands; Chad and Mike, followed suit.

Donkey had left when the children were sent to bed as he was just about a tuckered out as the once hyperactive kids.

One-by-one the majority of the princesses' parents left the ballroom so their daughters might be allowed a few additionally minutes _alone_ with the king.

The princess of Spain, Princess Anita, had also bitterly left the ballroom with her parents, as she had no further intentions of arranging a marriage with King Arthur in such a _cold-weathered_ kingdom. The monarchs of Spain would likely be leaving for their kingdom the next day, if not during the dark of night.

Princess Siobhan's seven older brothers had left the ball with their parents, most of them cheery without the effects of an alcohol-induced hangover kicking in just yet. Siobhan too had left with her older brothers, but not without bidding all of the other people in the ballroom a good night.

Princess Betsy of Holland had left the ball a little earlier with her sister, Hilda, and the rest of the children, as she tired easily.

Princess Gertrude of New Duloc had also left the ballroom earlier after throwing a small temper tantrum because there was none of her favourite dishes left at the buffet table. She too would likely be departing the next morning.

The only people that remained in the ballroom were; Shrek, Fiona, Princess Adel Marksworth, King Arthur Pendragon and an assortment of servants that were starting the clean up of the royal ball.

* * *

"Ehem…" Shrek cleared his throat and he motioned for his wife to follow him out of the room. "We're going to check up on the kids…" He stated flatly.

"Okay…" Artie looked at his ogre cousin-in-law strangely. He cleared his throat. "Good night, then."

"Good night you two…" Fiona smirked gently and she escorted her husband out of the ballroom.

Shrek sneaked an encouraging wink to Artie as he left the ballroom.

"Um…" Artie registered that they were the only ones left in the room, now that even the servants had cleared out.

Adel giggled lightly and she shook her head. "How about one last dance before we retire to bed, Artie?"

Artie smiled. "Sure…"

The princess stepped forwards and gently wrapped her arms around Artie's neck. The young king responded equally and gently placed his hands at Adel's waist.

"So…" Artie gently lead the dance by soundless music. "What did you think of the ball?" He enquired.

"It was fine." Adel stated. "And you?"

"Well." Artie twirled Adel outwards and then back towards him. "It was fine." He caught Adel's waiting hand in his own.

"Truthfully." Adel looked up timidly at the taller king. "The most enjoyable dance I had; was with you."

"Really?" Artie smiled smugly. "And why is that?" He raised an eyebrow mischievously.

Adel chuckled and turned to face Artie, her hands at the base of his neck. "Because all of my other partners either stepped on my feet or pinched my bottom."

Artie repressed a laugh; it came out as a light snicker.

Adel playfully narrowed her bright blues eyes at Artie but she kept her voice even. "However my dances with the children were most entertaining…"

Artie smirked. "Too bad they had to leave so early in the ball."

Adel nodded. "And any complaints from you, Artie?"

The young king chuckled. "Just that most of the _glamorous_ princesses can not dance very well and that the others were far too shy." He stepped closely to Adel. "Though my dance with Princess Siobhan was second to _our_ dance."

Adel mirrored Artie's sly smirk. "Too bad she's already taken…"

"Oh yes…" Artie nodded, unsurprised. "She told me that I would be second to her beau in Ireland… and that she'd consider marrying me if he ever died." He winked.

Adel looked up at the young king with wide, surprised eyes.

Artie snickered. "…That is, if I'm not already taken."

Adel's bright blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What _else_ did Siobhan tell you?" She asked.

Artie chuckled and then raised an eyebrow. "Just that she can tell you like me…" The young kind casually shrugged and added. "I don't really mind because I like you too."

Adel immediately stopped in her steps and looked up into Artie's pale green eyes. "Y-You what?" She asked; alarmed by what she was hearing.

Artie dropped his hands to his sides. "I like you Adel…" He stated with a weak smile.

Adel's face flushed up nervously. "Artie..." She tried to take a breath but such action was becoming more difficult in her constraining dress. "I'm going to faint, but know that it's a good kind of faint because I'm _very_ glad that you like me back." She said with the last breath she had in her lungs.

"Okay…" Artie shrugged nonchalantly.

He gently caught the knocked out princess in his arms and smirked lightly.

"I guess that means my search is finally over…" He whispered lightly as he picked up the princess and began bringing her back up to her bedroom.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well… that was the ball… HURRAY!

**Manga Girl # 6**


	14. Sudden Change in Pace

**Author's Note:**

Well, now that the ball's over; what to do?

* * *

The twelve chimes of midnight's hour vibrated through Far Far Away's main clock tower, echoing through the resting kingdom. King Arthur gently carried the still-unconscious Princess Adel in his arms up to her bedroom. He was very light-footed so the young king barely made any sound as he crept past the many rooms of his guests.

Finally, he came up to the room he knew to have assigned to the princess in his arms. He ever so gently shifted his grip of the princess so he could have a free hand to turn the room's doorknob.

Her room was deathly quiet and a bit chilly from the opened windows. Arthur softly closed the door behind him and walked up to Adel's bed with the bed's user in his arms. The young king pushed back the top duvet of the bed and carefully, as not to wake Adel, he set her down onto the covers of her bed.

A minute smile pulled at the corners of Arthur's mouth as he watched the younger princess bury her face into the plush pillows at their comfort.

Arthur swiftly tiptoed to the windows and closed them. Then he stoked the dying fire, so the princess would be warmer. Finally, Arthur slowly grasped the top of the duvet and covered Adel's blue-dressed body.

Adel moaned a bit in her slumber and snuggled against the feather-soft duvet. Arthur forced back a chuckle; smoothed back some of the loosened bangs from the fair princess' forehead and gently planted a good-hearted kiss between her eyebrows. Then the young king silently left Adel's bedroom, to retire to his own bed.

What he didn't know was that the princess had woken from her temporary unconsciousness to see him leave her bedroom, and she could tell that the warm kiss on her forehead was undoubtedly given by him...

Adel smiled gently, and soon found herself too comfortable under the duvet to remove the clothing she had worn for the ball. She simply undid her hair from its bun and placed her tiara under her pillow; a procedure often done by the many of princesses when they didn't have a guarded treasury to place their tiaras in. Then Adel sighed and slowly fell asleep. The beautiful music played at the royal ball swam gently through her mind.

* * *

A few short hours later, in early morning birds woke up the young woman. Adel rose from her bed and began to get redressed into another set of clothing, this more comfortable than her attire for the ball.

She didn't realize that soon, a tragic reality would be crashing down like the weight of the entire world onto her…

* * *

"King Arthur!" Fiddlesworth's very noticeable voice called through the double oak doors into Artie's master bedroom.

The aforementioned king grumbled incoherently into his pillows before sluggishly raising his head out of them.

"What is it?" Artie demanded groggily.

"King Fredrick and Queen Ophelia Marksworth of the Kingdom of Far Away are requesting your presence…" The head servant stated. "They say it's urgent."

"Why… what's happened?" Artie shoved the covers off of him and slowly made himself presentable.

"Artie!" Another recognizable voice called through the doors before Fiddlesworth could answer his highness's question.

"Princess Adel… please don't enter the king's chambers…" Fiddlesworth's voice interjected through the princess's but the reddish-brown haired woman burst through the double doors.

"Adel?" Artie stood fully from his bed.

"Oh it's horrible, Artie." The young woman looked to be on the verge of tears. "I woke up this morning and I went to check on my sisters, but they were gone." Adel bit her bottom lip while pacing the foot of Arthur's bed. "I checked through _everyone_ my parents, Sir Shrek, Donkey, the cooks… **none** of them had seen them all day."

"What about the other children?" Artie asked.

Adel shook her head. "None of them had seen either of my sisters… and we all checked the castle gardens, the palace docks, all around and through the castle." The stressed-out princess sniffled. "They're nowhere in sight."

"Fiddlesworth." Arthur looked to his head servant. "Arrange a search party, immediately." He ordered. "These two princesses are heiresses to another kingdom's throne and I won't have them lost under my rule."

"Yes, King Arthur." Fiddlesworth bowed formally and left the king's bedroom.

Adel sniffled, wiping some of the tears that had spilt from her bright blue eyes. "I didn't know where else to look so I decided to come to you." The worried princess stepped closer to Arthur and looked up into the young king's pale green eyes. "Because you know your kingdom much better than I…"

Arthur nodded. "We'll find them, Adel." He stated, placing a gentle hand of reassurance onto Adel's shoulder. "I promise."

Adel sighed, as if an immense weight had been lifted from her. "Thank you, Artie…" She smiled warmly up at the king. "I-" The princess tried to form a plausible sentence. "This means so much to me." Adel stated with gratitude.

"Well this is what friends do for each other, right?" Artie smiled softly.

Adel's nodded and then her eyes trailed up the warm hand Artie held against her shoulder up to the young man's own shoulder. Then she realized that the young king was shirtless.

She couldn't help but stare a few moments at the young man's athletic build, not so overly muscular but attractive so that they built onto his thin frame, giving it a more masculine appearance.

They locked gazes and realized how close they were standing to each other.

"Right." Adel stepped back towards the door. "I'll meet you in the front hall." She stated, blushing lightly at Arthur's lack of proper clothing.

Artie chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Right…" He looked down at himself; he was only wearing a pair of dark green trousers as pyjamas. "The front hall."

Adel nodded and then bashfully left the young king's bedroom so the later could get properly clothed.

* * *

The Marksworth family, minus their two youngest members, stood in the great front hall of the castle. Surrounding them was a large party of people willing to help them search for the two young children.

There was the colossal arrangement of servants and guards, as ordered by King Arthur, but a surprisingly large group of others willing to search for Harriet and Iris.

There were; Shrek, Fiona, Kathryn, Harold, Liam, Princess Siobhan and her seven older brothers –as their parents had already departed for Ireland the previous evening-, Queen Lillian, Donkey and the five Dronkeys –Dragon was already outside, scouring the skies for clues-, Puss, Cindy, Beauty, Snow, Chad, Mike, and Ray.

Many of the other monarchs had departed to their kingdoms the previous night or early that morning, before the ordeal over Iris and Harriet Marksworth.

The twenty-eight helpers to the Marksworth family, plus the additional hundreds of servants and guards in the search party that Fiddlesworth had arranged stood waiting for the king of Far Far Away.

The head captain of Far Far Away's Royal Guard, Captain Timotheus Sylva, was sorting his battalion into groups coherently with Fiddlesworth, who was busy sorting his servants.

Many of the castle servants, mostly the female cooks and maids, were assigned to search the entire castle while the gardeners and groundskeepers were assigned to search the castle's grounds once more.

King Arthur soon arrived, talking seriously with his captain of guard and head servant about their plans. Group by group, the additional helpers came forward and were assigned to sections of the kingdom.

Fiona, Queen Lillian, Harold, Kathryn, and Liam were sent with a handful of royal guards to search the secret passageways and lower catacombs of the castle.

Cindy, Snow, and Beauty accompanied their husbands and a large battalion of both guards and servants to search the main street and downtown square of Far Far Away for the two girls.

Princess Siobhan and her seven older brothers volunteered to search the West End of Far Far Away with a large group of royal guards. Puss too decided to go on a solo mission through the West End.

Dragon, Éclair, Parfait, Bananas, Cocoa, and Peanut were assigned to get a _bird's_-eye view of the kingdom and surrounding countryside to search for Iris and Harriet.

Donkey was then paired up with Shrek and a mixed battalion of guards and servants to search the East End of the kingdom.

Two more battalions of servants and royal guards were sent out to the North and South Ends of the kingdom.

All battalions were ordered to return to the castle at midnight the next day, or sooner should they find either of the missing princesses. All of the search parties left the front entrance of the castle to search their appropriate sections of Far Far Away.

Left in the front hall were King Fredrick Marksworth, Captain Timotheus Sylva, Queen Ophelia Marksworth, King Arthur, and Princess Adel Marksworth.

* * *

"Where are we to be assigned, King Arthur?" King Fredrick asked.

"With all due respect King Fredrick." The young king responded politely. "I would ask that you and your family remain in the castle until your younger daughters are found."

"Will you be searching?" Queen Ophelia enquired.

"Yes." King Arthur cleared his throat. "I'll search the depths of Far Far Away Forest."

"Your Highness." Captain Timotheus Sylva turned to face the young king. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted, Captain." Arthur nodded curtly.

"The depths of Far Far Away Forest are congested with criminals." Timotheus stated. "It would be unwise to search them alone, highness." His grey-green eyes seemed to be full of years of experience and wisdom.

"I'm going to search with you." Adel stated clearly to the young king.

"I wouldn't advise it." The blonde-haired man cleared his throat.

The young woman shook her head. "The more eyes we have searching for them, the more likely we're to find them." Adel looked at her parents. "Mother, father, you two must stay here." The princess implored gently. "When we find them… they will need someone to come home to." She smiled warmly. "And we need someone to be here for them."

King Fredrick sighed. "If you say so, my dear."

"Let's go then." Adel turned to face the young king. Her will was so unbreakable that even a king's command wouldn't stop her.

Artie sighed in defeat. "So be it."

"Even with two of you, the forest is still dangerous." The captain interjected frankly.

"Would _you_ join us, Captain?" Adel asked sweetly.

"It would be an honour, highness." The thirty-year-old captain of guard saluted formally.

"Then we should hurry." Arthur stated, turning away from the two monarchs to the kingdom of Far Away and walking from them. "It's nearly midday already…"

Princess Adel nodded in agreement she turned to her parents and smiled.

"Good luck, my dear." King Fredrick smiled down to his eldest daughter.

"Be careful." Queen Ophelia insisted nervously.

"I will… thank you." Adel hugged each of her parents as a goodbye and then hurried to catch up with the young king and captain of guard.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I've been stuck on this story for a while, or at least unmotivated... but I'll try my best to finish it and I vastly appreciate the reviews from people.

**Manga Girl # 6**


	15. The Search

**Author's Note:**

Ooh some action, which makes some inspiration!

* * *

"She's grown up quite a bit over these few days." Ophelia stated tearfully as she watched the first of her daughters leave the front entrance hall of the castle.

"Indeed she has." King Fredrick smiled weakly and wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders to comfort her. "No doubt she will soon be walking down her own path."

The two parents smiled proudly before walking to the living chairs near the comforting fireplace to begin their unerring wait for their two youngest daughters to be found.

* * *

"These stallions will serve us well." Captain Timotheus Sylva stated as he saddled up his own roan warhorse and the accompanying stable boys saddled up two other stallions. "I was the one who personally broke them, and they've served my battalion well over the years."

King Arthur nodded curtly.

The stable boys bowed formally to their superiors before allowing each to mount their horse.

Timotheus mounted his roan warhorse; his light armour clanked lightly. He wore a breastplate, shin guards, shoulder guards and forearm guards while a lightweight yet sturdy chain mail vest guarded the rest of his torso. The captain of guard wore thick woollen trousers and light mid-calf length boots as well as bore the Far Far Away Crest on his breastplate and it was woven in gold thread against his emerald green cape. His weapons were his captain rank sword and a short dagger that he kept at his hip in a small, concealed sheath. Timotheus carried a shield with the Far Far Away Crest emblazoned in it on his back.

Arthur mounted a coal-black stallion; he was only armed with his sword and wore no armour. His crown had been removed, as it would've likely fallen off during horse riding, and his sandy-blonde hair framed his face exactly as it had many years before he had become king. He wore a green and gold embroidered tunic, a dark green pair of trousers, and his knee-length boots.

Adel mounted a young bay; she wore a grey-blue travelling cloak over her dark blue dress. Her silver, sapphire and pearl tiara was braided into her place while the rest of her reddish-brown hair tied back into a French braid.

Artie sighed and looked at his two companions. "Let's get started." He said weakly.

The three superiors rode out of the Royal Stables into the dim light of the early afternoon. Yellow-grey clouds formed above them, indicating that a thunderstorm was brewing in the heavens.

Adel glanced nervously at the young king, worried about her sisters' fear of thunderstorms; much like all children their age. Artie smiled half-heartedly, reassuring the princess. Adel smiled weakly back to the sandy-blonde-haired king and they began trotting down the beaten down pathway to the outskirts of the kingdom.

Beyond the fortified walls the kingdom of Far Far Away was a dense forest of evergreen and oak trees.

Though a small layer of trees resided at the main entrance to the kingdom, which then thinned to rolling countryside, the outer walls of the kingdom bore thicker, darker portions of the immense forest.

* * *

The three determined riders spent the entire day scouring the forest in search of the twins, with nought a sign of them. The rain hadn't yet fallen, as the yellow and grey-green clouds had taken the entire day to build up. The burning sun sunk down past the treetops, cloaking the forest in darkness.

Adel's voice was growing hoarse after her repetitive calling for her younger sisters and she was beginning to lose hope.

"The darker it gets, the more risk we'll have of being ambushed by bandits." Timotheus stated. He cleared his throat as they trotted down the well-beaten forest pathway. "My home is just south of the next junction, we'll stay there for the night."

"How much longer until we reach your home?" Arthur enquired.

"Not long, highness." Timotheus looked at the path ahead and noticed a strange glow. "That's strange, even with the fireplace lit our home is never _that_ visible from these parts." He thought aloud.

The captain of the guard clicked the leather reins against his horse to speed the steed's gate. Adel and Arthur followed suit. Timotheus' hand went to the hilt of his sword lashed onto his horse's saddle instinctively as his steed obediently sped up.

Soon enough, the three riders arrived in a large clearing. Before them was a horrendous scene of flames consuming a small cottage with thick clouds of smoke choking the clearing's sky.

"No…" Timotheus cursed under his breath. He leapt from his steed, sword in hand and ran to his chaotic home. "Lucius!" He called out. "Sylvanus! Lucillius!" The thirty-year-old captain rushed to the front of the hut and bashed through the front door.

* * *

"Any sign of them Luke?" Siobhan called to her eldest brother.

"Not from here." Lukas stated, searching the rooftops of an alleyway. "How 'bout you Red?" He called to his younger twin, who was standing across the alleyways on another building's roof.

"Nope." Jarred answered, he pushed back his red bangs –the identical hue that his entire family shared- from his sweating face. "You, Steve?" The twenty-five year old prince demanded.

Steven leapt from two close by rooftops to meet his other siblings and shook his head; he was about twenty-three years of age. "Not a sign…" He sighed. "Hey Cain, anything from where you are?" He enquired.

"Nope…" Cain came careening from one of the empty clotheslines and he landed lightly next to his youngest –and only- sister. "Harry, Jim, anything yet?" The twenty-one year old prince called.

"Nothing yet!" The identical twenty-year old twins responded simultaneously. Harry and James pulled themselves out of the hole they had been examining. "Brent, anything?" They demanded.

"No." Brent appeared a few alleyways down the main street. "Nothing." The nineteen year old shrugged.

"Well then… let's keep at it!" Siobhan commanded her older siblings.

The seven red-haired princes groaned and continued their work.

* * *

Arthur and Adel hurried forwards, trying to help the panicking captain of guard. The three steeds whinnied frightfully at the fire, but even more at a sudden disturbance close to the edge of the forest's clearing.

The royal couple turned around to see darkly clad bandits ambushing the horses, scaring them from the forest clearing until they bolted from the scene.

Arthur drew his sword and stepped in front of Adel protectively. "Keep close to me." He whispered urgently.

The bandits closing in on the two monarchs cackled horridly; each outfitted with crude weapons like clubs, brass knuckles and other thug-like arms. Strangely they bore a painted-on symbol on their tunics, as if they belonged to a cult of some sort. The symbol was two cobras surrounding a crown with a bleeding heart in its centre.

Arthur growled, recognizing the symbol. The bandits chuckled at the young king's unease and they charged at Arthur.

The young king effectively dodged the first few lunges of crudely forged swords and parried others. His sword sliced through the wood of many clubs and kept the melee fighters –those with brass knuckles or shorter blades- at bay.

Arthur not only had to defend himself from the thugs, by Princess Adel from them as well, and with the bandits surrounding them on all sides… this task was becoming more difficult. The blonde-haired man weaved through and attack and halted a blade that was lunged in Adel's direction.

But the young man was caught off guard for a split second and one thug, armed with a club, took out the king. Arthur fell to the forest floor, disabled for a moment.

* * *

Adel quickly grasped a fallen sword from the ground and halted the blade that threatened Arthur's life. The princess then tried her hardest to fend off the masses of thugs, but it was overwhelming for her.

"Captain!" Adel called out to the captain of guard, who was still searching the interior of his burning home for his family. She turned around and blocked another sword slice while simultaneously dodging a brass knuckle lunge.

The thug armed with the brass knuckles punched the attacking bandit in the gut, disabling him from battle.

Captain Timotheus Sylva rushed out of his home, having not found any members of his family, with fiery rage. He sought to avenge his murdered family, and by the might of his sword he would dish that vengeance out. The thirty-year-old man cast aside his singed cape and charged into the ring of bandits.

The group of thugs were no match against the enraged warrior's might and many fell prey to his blade. All remaining bandits fled from the clearing, leaving their injured comrades behind.

* * *

Arthur slowly came to as his companions finished off the last of the bandits. He rubbed the spot where he had been hit gingerly before standing back up. Adel handed the young king his sword back and uneasily cleared her throat.

"You know for a princess I was half expecting you to have no weaponry finesse." Arthur stated, sheathing his sword curtly.

Adel narrowed her eyes at the young king. "And _I_ was half expecting for a king to-"

"Enough." Captain Timotheus Sylva barked angrily; silencing the arguing royals. Though the two monarchs were superior to him, he wanted some peace for the moment.

* * *

There was only a one bandit with a leg injury remaining in the clearing. He was lying against a boulder in the forest's clearing, a hand over his profusely bleeding leg, but he looked up at the captain defiantly.

The captain of the guard growled and turned towards the defiant thug. "Who sent you?" He demanded.

"No one sent us." The thug hissed as he sat up against the boulder.

"Tell me who, or I'll make you regret it." Timotheus snarled, pressing the tip of his sword threateningly against the neck of the thug, where he knew to be the location of the jugular vein.

The thug gulped nervously, losing some of his resolve. "Couldn't you recognize the symbol?" He tapped at the coat of arms painted to his tunic with a half-laugh.

Timotheus scowled bitterly, but kept the blade at the bandit's throat. "Then tell me the location of Mordred." He ordered.

The bandit chuckled. "Won't find him here…" He stated. "The guy's long gone; don't know why he'd stay here." The thug paused. "No wait…" He recollected something. "He _is_ here… and… close by." A smile cracked across the bandit's face. "You'll see… soon enough." The bandit allowed a steeped pause as his eyes looked forwards and he became limp.

"Where is he?" Timotheus shouted to the deceased bandit.

When there was no answer, the captain of the guard let out a loud yelled of frustration and he stabbed the end of his sword into the ground beside the corpse.

"We'll see soon enough." The king restated morbidly, his face paling of all colour. "Mordred."

With a flash of lightening and a crack of thunder the heavens opened, showering the trio with rain and extinguishing the flames that had ruined Captain Timotheus Sylva's homestead.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hmm… I'm trying to figure out how I'm to go from here… it'll come to me though.

**Manga Girl # 6**


	16. Mordred

**Author's Note:**

Hmm… It's been a while since I've worked on this story.

* * *

The trio had made camp within the ruins of Captain Timotheus' homestead. As small fire was planted in the remains of the kitchen hearth and the three campers were shielded from the pouring rain by what was left of the thatched roofing.

Timotheus, though being older than both of the royals, childishly refused to get any rest. He fervently searched each and every room of his homestead for either clues to his family's location, or clues to Mordred's plot.

* * *

Artie and Adel were left alone in the kitchen, both staring into the flames of the hearth intently. Artie sat with his arms folded over his knees in a loose ball. Adel was curled up into a tighter ball, her arms wrapped around her calves and she looked into the fire over her knees.

The troubled king thought over all that had happened to him involving Mordred, trying to find some significant clues to why the evil man was here and if he had taken Iris & Harriett.

Adel stood from her position and paced the length of the room. The lightening danced across the sky outside the homestead, filtering some light through the gaps in the roof.

Artie looked up from the fire at Adel, who seemed to be in more of a dilemma than him. "What's on your mind?" He enquired.

"Everything." Adel huffed slightly and sat down next to the sandy-blonde-haired king. She raked her fingers stressfully through her reddish-brown bangs and pulled her tiara from her head. "I'm worried about my sisters, I hate to think what's happened to Captain Timotheus' family…" The troubled princess sighed forcefully and rubbed the bridge of her nose in concentration. "I'm lost, Artie." She looked up at the young king with watery eyes.

Artie scooted beside the princess, pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her closely. Adel sniffled and buried her face against the man's shoulder, letting loose her emotions. The young king reassuringly patted the sobbing princess' back to calm her down.

Once her sobs calmed down Adel sniffed. "Thanks Artie." She hugged him and then looked up at Artie's face. The fire cast a golden-orange light upon it, making his pale green eyes shine. The young woman smiled and gave the young man a kiss on the cheek.

Artie flushed up from embarrassment as Adel drew back from the embrace, but the rouge blush went unnoticed in the firelight.

Adel slipped out of Artie's lap as the young king lay on his back on the kitchen floor. She turned onto her side and used Artie's torso as a pillow of sorts while the sandy-blonde-haired king folded his hands behind his head and looked up at the hole-riddled roof.

Slowly the princess fell asleep to the rhythm of Artie's heartbeat and the young man fell asleep to the drum of raindrops against the roof.

Suffice to say that the captain of guard, after giving up his search for the night, was surprised at the sight in his ruined kitchen. But Timotheus silently walked to the hearth, stoked the fire and found his own spot on the floor to fall asleep.

* * *

Captain Timotheus Sylva awoke to something he would've usually found normal, that is, had he known otherwise. There were silent echoes of familiar voices, voices he longed to hear since he had some to his homestead the previous night.

"Now Lucillius, keep close to your brother…" A female voice gently commanded. It couldn't be his wife… could it?

"Okay, mom…" A youthful male voice grumbled. "C'mon Lucy…"

Was that really his little boy's voice? Timotheus sat up and listened closely.

"Wait for me!" A younger female voice giggled. "Don't go too fast."

Was that truly his little girl's sweet laughter? Timotheus stood from his sleeping spot, glanced slightly at the slumbering monarchs and then walking towards the voices.

Lucius sighed. "Mom, at this rate we're never going to get to the secret place if Lucy keeps dawdling."

Sylvanus chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Lucius, we will…" She stated. "You must be patient with your little sister."

Lucius groaned loudly.

Timotheus hurried towards the voices, through the last shards of his homestead. He rushed outside, wincing at the bright sunlight against the dew-drenched blades of grass, and then continued running aimlessly after the voices.

Then, before the captain of the guard could realize that he had charged into a trap, there was a blinding flash of light and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Adel's bright blue eyes blinked open as she heard two recognizable voices. She lifted her head from Artie's chest and listened closely.

"Del-Del!"

"Del-Del!"

The calls of her younger sisters repeated over and over. Adel's breath caught at the back of her throat.

"Artie!" She lightly shook the young king awake. "Artie, wake up!"

"Hmm?" Artie blinked and sat up. "What is it?" He yawned.

"My sisters' voices…" Adel stated as she stood from the ground. "Can't you hear them?" She demanded.

"No…" Artie raised an eyebrow and looked up at the young woman.

"They're coming from the forest." Adel hurried across the length of the kitchen towards the doorway outside. "We have to find them!'

"Adel." Artie stood to his feet slowly. "I can't hear them."

Adel looked up at Artie seriously. "But, you have to…" She stated. "They're practically shouting…" The young woman bit her bottom lip. "Why can't you hear them?" She asked sorrowfully.

Artie looked over the princess oddly and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"HELP!" Two screams came from the forest, though Adel only seemed to react to them.

"We have to help them!" Adel exclaimed, with tears in her eyes. She bolted from the ruined homestead, towards the edge of the clearing.

"Adel, come back!" Artie rushed after the fleeing princess.

Suddenly there was a flash of bright light, and Adel disappeared from sight.

"Adel?" The young king yelled, scanning the clearing for the princess. He growled and unsheathed his sword. "Show yourself, Mordred."

There was a smooth chuckle that echoed through the clearing. "With Pleasure." A dark voice answered the king's demands.

* * *

A black cloud of smoke appeared a few feet in front of the armed king. The smoke cleared, revealing a man, who looked to be of similar build as the young king and perhaps a few years older.

Mordred's lightly tanned face was broken in a smug grin. His black eyes flashed devilishly as he dangled a black glass orb on a chain in one hand. His other hand was casually laid over the golden hilt of his sheathed sword.

Four tiny balls of light swirled around in the dark orb, indicating that it contained something. Mordred tied the chain around his belt so the black orb fell to his left mid-thigh.

The dark man smoothed some of his dark brown bangs back nonchalantly and then his hands went to the hilt of his sword. Across his chest was the same coat of arms; the twin cobras, crown and bleeding heart were all embroidered in gold against Mordred's black tunic.

"Why King Arthur…" Mordred snickered. "We haven't set eyes on each other in two years." The smirk remained as he glowered at the king. "When Guinevere left you for Lancelot."

Arthur narrowed his pale green eyes dangerously and glared at his archrival.

"But don't you fret about that whore…" Mordred chuckled. "I personally saw to it, that she had the most painful death I could give her, and her husband." He winked. "'Cause you see, I did you a _favour_, but hey… you don't have to pay me back." He smirked slyly. "Your girlfriend can do that properly."

"You dirty bastard!" Arthur snarled, lunging towards Mordred.

Mordred, who had predicted the younger man's reaction, unsheathed his sword and blocked Arthur's attack, but was slightly surprised at the strength of the young king.

"If you touch Adel, I swear I'll-" Arthur hissed angrily.

"What, kill me?" Mordred laughed dryly. "You haven't had anyone's blood on your hands… ever." Mordred shoved the young man back and smirked. "You're too chained down by self-righteousness." He stated.

Arthur paused and thought for a moment. "I might make an exception for you…" He snapped, the young king then lunged towards Mordred once more.

Mordred crossed his sword with Arthur's and he smirked through the gap at the young king. "I'm afraid you need to work on your aim, Arthur…" Mordred chortled. "Heart's here." He tapped his chest with his free hand.

"Who says I was going for your heart?" Arthur snapped.

Arthur swept his foot under Mordred's, knocking the dark warrior to the ground. Then the young king plunged the tip of his sword against the chain at Mordred's hip rather that through his chest.

The quick young king blocked Mordred's feverish sword swing and kicked the black orb past him. The black orb rolled across the barren clearing towards the homestead. The glass of the orb shatter on impact against the outer wall of the ruined home and a bright white light emitted from it.

"No!" Mordred hissed. He scrambled onto his feet, while Arthur defended the shattered orb.

Four beacons of light formed on the ground at Arthur's feet and soon four bodies appeared. Iris, Harriet, and Timotheus each opened their eyes one-by-one and became conscious of where they were. Adel however, remained in an unconscious state.

Mordred growled and backed away a few steps, with his sword at the ready.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Ooh… I've got some motivation. WOOT!

**Manga Girl #6**


	17. For the Sake of Love

**Author's Note:**

Showdown time; WOOT!

* * *

Captain Timotheus Sylva glared at Mordred and immediately unsheathed his sword. "You murdered my family!" He snarled dangerously. "And for that, you will die." The captain of guard hollered angrily and charged at the dark swordsman.

Mordred and Timotheus then clashed in a heated swordfight.

* * *

"Uncle Artie…" Harriet's whimpering voice called to the sandy-blonde-haired king, who turned to face the frightened children. "Del-Del's not waking up." Harriet's beetle-black eyes were brimming with tears.

"And she's not breathing!" Iris exclaimed.

Artie knelt down beside the unconscious princess and brushed his hand lightly over her freckled face. His pale green eyes watered slightly as he bit his lip. "She's." He gulped. "She's cold…" The young king's mouth was dry as his hand travelled to the side of Adel's neck. "And she has no heartbeat." His voice cracked from emotion as he drew back his hand.

"No." Iris's beetle-black eyes widened as fresh tears poured from them. "Del-Del can't die." She sobbed.

Harriet and Iris then began crying intensely from their older sister's death.

"Del-Del, please, wake up." Harriet hiccoughed, she buried her face in Adel's torso and wrapped her arms around her head.

Artie felt hot tears pour uncontrollably from his pale-green eyes down the length of his cheeks. He gently pulled Adel's head into his lap and lightly caressed the side of her face. One of his tears ran off the side of his face and fell gently down onto Adel's forehead.

* * *

Adel's face began to slowly regain colour and she inhaled slowly. The crying trio halted their tears as they looked upon Adel's face in bewilderment. Gradually, Adel's bright blue eyes opened.

"Del-Del!" Iris and Harriet cheered simultaneously. The twins then tackled their older sister in two equally bone-crushing hugs.

Adel smiled lightly and wrapped her arms around her sister's heads, easing her fingers through their light hazelnut-brown locks. She looked up at the young king gratefully, who smiled back weakly.

Suddenly the grunts and crashes of a nearby swordfight brought the quartet to their senses. The twins looked up fearfully while Adel sat up.

* * *

Captain Timotheus was becoming overwhelmed by Mordred's finesse in sword fighting. The dark warrior knocked his opponent's long sword away and was prepared to deliver the finishing blow. Timotheus then unsheathed his concealed short sword and sliced at Mordred's forearm.

The black-clad swordsman hissed in pain and weaved his way around the captain of the guard. After a few blows, the thirty-year-old captain of the guard was knocked to the ground. Mordred daintily grasped the short sword and -now armed with two swords- prepared to kill Timotheus.

* * *

Suddenly a pair of blades blocked the fatal attack. Mordred looked up and saw not only King Arthur blocking his attack, but Princess Adel. The black-clad warrior smirked and stepped backwards, preparing to duel with the two monarchs.

"Say with the twins." Adel ordered to Captain Timotheus as she stepped beside Arthur. "If we fall, leave."

The captain of guard reluctantly limped over to the sidelines, where Iris and Harriet were frightfully watching the battle.

* * *

Mordred chuckled and lunged at Arthur and Adel with both blades.

Adel blocked the dual-bladed attack while Artie lunged through the gap made by the crossed blades at Mordred's torso. The edged of the young king's blade caught Mordred's left side at the ribcage, but went no further than skin deep.

Mordred drew back with a sharp growl of pain. He held his block against Adel's sword and swung his other sword at Arthur. Arthur parried the attack and then swung once again at Mordred.

Mordred pushed back Adel and blocked Arthur's attack with one blade. The dark warrior drew his attention to the young king. Both blades went for either side of the king's torso, but the tips were knocked down by Adel's attack. Mordred had enough time to predict the block and swing his blades in the opposite direction.

Both blades ripped some of the clothing at Adel's rib cage, catching mostly in her travelling cloak. Adel's gasped in pain as she felt the tips slice into her flesh, but no sooner than she had uttered a sound did the dark warrior howled in agony. Mordred dropped his swords and fell backwards, choking on his own blood. Arthur glared down at the dying swordsman. There was Mordred's crimson blood dripping from the end of his sword.

"I warned you of what would happen if you touched Adel." Arthur stated coldly.

Mordred cackled emptily and then his coal-black eyes faded of life.

* * *

Arthur turned away, and wiped the tip of his sword in the grass. "Are you all right, Adel?" Arthur asked the stunned princess softly.

Adel smiled warmly. "Thanks to you, Artie."

The princess sighed, wrapped the last bit of her travelling cloak around her torso to conceal the injuries, and then walked with the young king back to where Iris, Harriet and Timotheus sat.

* * *

Adel handed the captain of the guard his sword. "I'm sorry for your loss… captain."

Timotheus sighed sadly, slowly rising to his feet, with the aid of Iris and Harriet, and re-sheathing his sword. "Well that's in the past, I'm afraid." He smirked slightly. "Princess Adel, I have to say that that was quite the impressive display of swordsmanship." The captain chuckled. "I'd consider hiring you to be a part of my battalion, that is, if you weren't a princess and if you weren't marrying the king."

The two twenty-year-olds blinked in realization and then looked at each other awkwardly.

"Um…" Harriet bit her lip. "We should go look at those cuts, captain." She offered, half-dragging the captain of the guard into his ruined homestead.

"Yeah…" Iris agreed. "We wouldn't want you to get sick."

Adel smirked slightly at her sisters' antics and then looked at Artie. The young king gently took Adel by the hand and escorted her away from Mordred's bloodied corpse.

* * *

"Adel…" Artie sighed. "I'm sorry for keeping my past a secret from you."

"You had every right to." Adel bit her bottom lip and walked around to the front of the homestead. "But, because Mordred attacked my family, I want to know what was going on…" She faced the young man.

Artie sighed, released Adel's hand and eased his hands through his sandy-blonde bangs. "Mordred and I… we used to go to the same academy together." The young king cleared his throat. "He was advanced in magic, and was expelled from the academy for overusing his magic for darker purposes." Artie looked away. "A few years ago, shortly after my coronation, I held a ball to announce my proposal to a girl I liked in the academy, Guinevere." The young man sighed. "She stood me up, leaving me for someone else." He shrugged. "I didn't think that Mordred would go as far as killing Guinevere and her husband because he thought he'd be doing me a favour…" Artie looked back up at Adel. "But he did… and then, he must've been keeping track of me, to get me to return that favour." The young man gently placed his hands on Adel's shoulders. "Through you..."

Adel looked away. "So that's why he took Iris and Harriet." She cleared her and looked up at Artie. "He wanted them, to get to me… to get to you."

"But now that's over." Artie smiled weakly. "And despite what's happened in the past, my feelings haven't changed for you, Adel." The young king gulped nervously. "Will you forgive me?"

Adel smiled slightly. "You have nothing to be forgiven for." She gulped and looked at the grass. "But as for my feelings for you…" The princess nervously pushed back some stray bangs from her eyes. "I can't say I like you, anymore."

Artie looked away, crestfallen. "I understand."

Adel smiled warmly and gently caressed the side of Artie's face until he looked at her. "I no longer like you." Her bright blue eyes shone in the golden sunshine. "Because I'm in love with you, Artie."

Artie's pale green eyes brightened at Adel's words. He reached up and clasped the princess's hand. "I'm in love with you too, Adel." He looked up and smiled back at Adel. The young king leaned forwards and gently locked lips with Adel. Adel was surprised, but quite pleased, at Artie's forwardness.

Then a pair of giggles interrupted the couple's embrace. Artie and Adel separated to see two eavesdropping six year olds standing at the front entrance to Timotheus' homestead beside the captain of the guard. The two twenty-year-olds laughed off their embarrassment and enjoyed the temporary euphoria.

* * *

"King Arthur, Princess Adel." Timotheus saluted formally to the monarchs. "Might I be so bold to request a temporary detour in our return to the castle?"

"Well I don't see how it should be a problem." The young king shrugged. "After all, we haven't any horses to ride."

"Getting back the horses won't be a problem, you see." Timotheus cleared his throat. "I was wondering if we might be able to search a safe house myself and my family situated within the woods." He stated. "I think that if they had a chance to escape Mordred's wrath, then they'd be there."

"Sounds like a plan, Captain." The sandy-blonde-haired king nodded. "But, just how are we going to get the horses back?" He enquired.

Captain Timotheus Sylva smirked and extracted a wooden whistle from one of his pockets. He blew into it and a deep bellowing noise echoed out of it. The echoes reverberated through the forest, reaching every creature but holding only one meaning to a few specifically trained quadrupeds. Soon after the bellowing call, four horses were summoned to the clearing.

"I did say I trained them well." Timotheus smirked at the monarchs' stunned expressions.

"Why four horses?" Artie raised an eyebrow.

"I have some stables nearby." Timotheus stated, saddling up his horse.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Wow… I really like writing that. Hee…hee…

**Manga Girl # 6**


	18. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

Hmm… it's been a while since I've written additional chapters to this, although the updates aren't as tediously spacious as some of my other fanfics…

* * *

Timotheus leapt up onto his horse, lashing his sheathed swords to the saddle. Arthur and Adel helped Harriet and Iris up onto the additional horse that had been summoned, a chocolate-brown mare, before pulling themselves up onto the two original horses that they had been given.

"The safe house is only about a mile down the road…" Timotheus explained as he led the quartet of horses towards the edge of the clearing. "Stay close, though." The captain warned. "There are a fair few dangerous creatures lurking about this forest, even at this time of day."

Iris and Harriet nervously gulped. Iris, who was at the reins, swiftly steered their horse between Artie and Adel's horses. The two twenty-year-olds chuckled before the four horses set out down the heavily trodden path.

* * *

"Here it is…" Captain Timotheus pointed at the mouth of a nearly unseen cavern as he dismounted his horse. He pushed past some bushes obstructing mounted entrance into the clearing at the opening of the cavern and motioned for the four monarchs to follow him.

Arthur led the way, followed closely by Iris and Harriet, who were followed by Adel. The brown-red-haired princess glanced back at the horses before entering the clearing.

"Sylvanus!" Timotheus called into the cavern. "Lucius! Lucillius!" His call echoed off the mouth of the cavern. "It is I… Timotheus."

There was a lengthy pause in the forest clearing. Timotheus sighed sadly, losing what last bits of hope he had built up over the period of time.

"Daddy?" A small voice whispered from the darkness of the cavern.

A young girl, looking to be about four years of age, stepped from the entrance of the cave. She wore a dusty-rose-coloured dress with lengthy cream-coloured sleeves and had a humble crown of daisies woven into her long dark brown locks. Her innocent light blue eyes met her father's grey-green eyes and her face lit up with happiness as she smiled brightly.

Timotheus looked in amazement at his youngest child and barely whispered her name. "Lucillius…"

"Daddy!" Lucillius ran out into her father's arms and held onto him tightly.

"Dad!" A young lad, about nine years of age, hurried out after his younger sister into his father's arms. Lucius shared the same grey-green eyes as his father, wore a dark evergreen tunic with dark brown pants, and had short black hair.

"Lucius!" Timotheus held tightly to his two children. "You're all right…"

"Timotheus?" An older female voice gently floated from the cave's darkness.

The captain of the guard looked up to see his wife standing at the mouth of the cave. She wore a dark green dress with loose ivory sleeves that ended at her elbows. Her long black locks flowed down to her waist and the same light blue eyes that she shared with her daughter met her husband's.

"Is that… really you?" Sylvanus whispered faintly with her eyes filling with fresh tears.

"Yes…" Timotheus felt tears form in his grey-green eyes. "It's me, Sylvanus."

The aforementioned woman hurried from the cave's entrance and pulled her husband into a tight embrace.

A few tears fell from the captain of the guard's eyes as he held his family closely. "I thought that I had lost you all…" His voice cracked slightly from emotion.

"We thought the worst for your sake as well." Sylvanus stated. "I'm glad that we were wrong…"

* * *

The family separated from the hug and they took notice of the four monarchs standing awkwardly at the edge of the clearing.

"King Arthur!" The two children acknowledged their king formally with a curtsey and a bow.

"And you would be the three princesses of the Kingdom of Far Away, no doubt." Sylvanus smiled warmly at the three sisters, clearing the tears from her eyes.

"Yes." Adel smiled softly. "I'm Adel, and these are my younger sisters: Harriet and Iris." She explained, acknowledging her two younger sisters. "…And it was thanks to the aid of your husband that we were able to locate my sisters." Adel stated gratefully.

"Shall we return to the palace?" Arthur offered. "I would be happy to provide some rooms for you and your family, Captain, for as long as you require."

"That would be most appreciated, sire." Timotheus saluted. The captain of the guard then escorted his family and the four monarchs back towards the horses.

* * *

Adel offered her steed to Sylvanus and Lucillius while Arthur helped Iris and Harriet onto their chocolate-brown mare. Timotheus and Lucius hopped up onto Timotheus' steed, leaving Arthur and Adel with the coal-black stallion that had been provided for Arthur.

Arthur clasped the reins while Adel held onto his waist. Iris and Harriet giggled at the couple.

Adel rolled her bright blue eyes. "Let's hurry back." She suggested. "Everyone's probably worried sick about us…"

"I wouldn't doubt that." Artie agreed.

The quartet of horses then set out towards the forest pathway leading back to Far Far Away.

* * *

As the octet approached Far Far Away, swift messengers hurried to the castle to announce their return. The many search parties returned to the castle's front entrance. Queen Ophelia and King Fredrick stood impatiently at the front doors.

"They are approaching the front gate!" An announcer proclaimed.

Ophelia and Fredrick hurried from the front hall, despite the urges of everyone else, and ran down the flight of carpeted stairs in the main entrance towards four mounted steeds.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Two jovial voices called out excitedly. The twins hopped off of their horse and hurried into their parents' awaiting arms.

The search parties soon joined them outside, cheering in celebration for the saved children. Many of the twins' friends joined in the group hug.

* * *

Outside the crowd of celebrators, Arthur gently helped Adel down from his steed. The princess slightly stumbled into the king's arms until they were face to face.

Blushing, Adel smiled and backed a few steps away. Artie smiled back at her. Their smiles disappeared as two head servants approached them.

"King Arthur, now that you've finished your mission…" Fiddlesworth straightened out his royal purple vest. "There are a number of issues that require your attention, sire." He rolled out a lengthy scroll that grazed the ground and rolled onwards.

"Shouldn't he at least get some sort of vacation for his good deeds?" Adel snapped.

King Arthur's head servant ignored the protesting princess, however his superior heard it, though he was interrupted before he could respond.

"You're all flushed, princess." Madame Christine stated crisply, waving her violet fan in Adel's direction. "Most certainly not a trait that's in this season."

"I think." Arthur interjected. "That she looks beautiful."

Madame Christine also ignored the king, however the comment was well received by the aforementioned princess, causing her face to flush up to an intense hue of red.

"Come now…" The French head maiden escorted the blue-dressed princess into the castle. "You're to be inside at all times if you're to get back to a paler complexion." She flicked her fan outwards as her minions darted to her side and followed the duo back into the castle. "As it is so much more _in_!"

Arthur sighed and turned to his head servant. "Fiddlesworth, I should like for a few arrangements to be planned."

"Certainly, sire…" Fiddlesworth snapped his fingers and one of his scribes scurried to his side. "What did you have in mind?"

The sandy-blonde-haired king inhaled slowly. "Firstly, I should like for a banquet to celebrate the twins' return to be arranged, for tonight if possible." He began walking from the base of the front stairs towards his palace. "Secondly, we'll require a few rooms to accommodate Captain Timotheus Sylva and his family." He smoothed a hand through his crown-liberated hair. "Thirdly, a ceremony to knight Captain Timotheus Sylva for his services to the throne needs to be arranged." Arthur paused in his steps to ponder. "And lastly, I would ask that King Fredrick and Queen Ophelia should meet with me sometime later today –before the banquet- to discuss some private matters…"

"Will that be all, sire?" Fiddlesworth enquired.

"Yes." The king stated.

The scribe waved his parchment so the ink would dry faster, rolled it up, and bow curtly to his two superiors before hurrying back into the palace to deliver the messages.

Arthur sighed, glancing at the crowds of celebrators, before being escorted to his room by Fiddlesworth, Raul and their band of minion servants.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

My plan is to finish the fanfics that I've already got before I start any new ones, though I may do an odd one-shot here and there… but this fic is the first on my list to finish, so enjoy!

**Manga Girl # 6**


	19. A Royal Banquet

**Author's Note:**

I should like to finish this fanfic, so I can get some more work done on my other fics… my priorities and me, hmph!

* * *

The palace returned to its normal business, planning the night's banquet as an aside, and it felt as if a grand sigh of relief had lifted the burden off the shoulders of everyone in the castle upon finding the Marksworth twins.

The children, accompanied mainly by their parents, played in the palace's grounds, happy to be reunited once more, and also joyfully that two additional playmates had joined their group.

* * *

Adel sat in her room, looking almost enviously out at the sunshine-drenched gardens that taunted her every desire. She sighed and turned away from the window, weaving through the maze of servants that were prepping her choices of banquet clothing and looking over designs for hairstyles that were _in_.

"Non, non, non!" Madame Christine's shrill voice exclaimed. "Such a **simple** dress will not be permitted for a **royal** banquet!" She flicked her violet fan at a small bundle of clothing held by one of her minions. "Get that wretched tablecloth out of my sight!"

"Wait." Adel called out about the hustle.

All of Madame Christine's minions halted in their steps, as if frozen in time, and they all stared at the princess.

"May I see it?" Adel asked, stepping closer to the chastised servant.

The minion holding the bundle of clothing gulped slightly before carefully unfolding her package to reveal the dress.

Though the dress itself was simple in design it seemed to strike beauty in Adel's eyes. It had a simple summery design, loose at the ivory-coloured sleeves and the hem of it seemed to just graze the floor. It was a deep midnight indigo colour with an ivory under-dress that had silver spirals embroidered into it.

"It's beautiful…" Adel exhaled. "I should like to wear it to the banquet."

The minion glanced fearfully at Madame Christine, who was speechless, her dark grey eyes wide with shock. Finally the head maiden waved her violet fan into front of her face to recuperate herself and began to utter complaints.

"There's no corset, no puffed sleeves, it's… it's not **in**!" The black-haired woman flustered.

Adel smirked slightly. "It's perfect." She stated.

The minion smiled back at the princess and gently escorted her to the bathroom, where the princess would be able to bathe all of the sweat and grim off of her from travelling.

"Hmph." Madame Christine huffed, turning away and looking over a selection of hairstyles.

* * *

There was a knock at the double door into the king's study. Arthur looked over the many tasks that Fiddlesworth had left him, then looked up at the door.

"Enter."

A doorman scuttled into the study. "You asked to see King Fredrick and Queen Ophelia, sire?"

"Yes." Arthur pushed aside his work. "Send them in…"

The doorman nodded curtly and then opened the doors for the aforementioned monarchs. The two rulers of the Kingdom of Far Away proceeded into the study.

"What is it you wish to see us about, King Arthur?" Fredrick asked cordially.

Artie inhaled and then stood from his seat. "I wish to discuss the terms of an arranged marriage between myself and your daughter." He stated.

"Adel?" Ophelia's bright blue eyes widened joyfully at the suggestion. "You wish to marry our Adel?" She smiled softly.

"Yes." Artie smoothed his hand absent-mindedly along the arm of his chair. "But I would like to ask of your permission, firstly."

"But of course we accept." Fredrick stated happily. "We came to your kingdom knowing fully that this arrangement would be a possibility." His beetle-black eyes glimmered blissfully.

The young king cleared his throat. "I also took the time to search some of my kingdom's records…" He gestured to a small pile of newspapers at the corner of his desk. "I see that there was an unfortunate war between our two kingdoms."

"But that was in years past, King Arthur." The older king waved his hand. "Certainly there won't be any resentments of ours against this unity."

Artie paused. "I was thinking more of our citizens' objections…" He paced the length of his desk and then stopped at his chair. "I shouldn't like to bestow any civil unrest within either of our kingdoms."

"Such matters have already been discussed, I assure you." Fredrick declared.

"Still…" Artie looked away. "I'm uncertain."

There was a pause between the three royals. Finally Ophelia spoke up. "Arthur, I don't think that your hesitation resides between the possibility of civil unrest, I think that you're nervous about this marriage at your and Adel's tender age." She smiled softly. "All great men have this nervousness, but it is one that they overcome with time." She turned towards the doors, with her husband in tow. "We feel that you will make the appropriate choice, Arthur."

With that the two rulers of the Kingdom of Far Away exited the king's study, leaving him to his many conflicting thoughts.

* * *

Shrek, Donkey and Puss all sat out in the bright sunshine of the palace's gardens. The ogrelets and the dronkeys accompanied Harriet, Iris, Lucius and Lucillius playing close by, in the palace courtyard.

The three males leaned back in the sweet summer grass and each relaxed as the hypnotizing breeze -carrying heady aromas- flitted through the gardens.

Suddenly a sandy-blonde-haired head came into their line of sight.

"Artie?" Shrek stated sleepily, sitting up and glancing curiously at the young king.

"I need to talk with you three." Artie stated.

"Now?" Shrek yawned.

"Now." Artie growled impatiently.

"Alright…" Shrek stood to his feet and beckoned for his two friends to accompany him.

Donkey rolled back onto his hooves and trotted between Artie and Shrek while Puss climbed up onto Shrek's shoulder.

"So what's this about, Artie?" Donkey enquired.

Artie lead the way down the stone steps towards the royal docks. "I need some advise… on some issues."

"Is that not the duty of your palace advisors?" Puss stated.

"Not kingdom issues." Artie sighed. "Personal issues."

"Oh." The three older males exclaimed, following the young king down the stairs.

* * *

Later that evening, the castle's guests –though much subdued in numbers when compared to the previous royal event- were assembling in the front hall for the planned banquet.

Most of them were dressed smartly, but not as formally as during the royal ball, and conversed amongst each other.

Butlers scurried about the front hall, offering drinks and hors d'oeuvres to the guests on glimmering silver trays. A small band of minstrels began warming up their instruments on the main stage in the front hall.

Adel stood once again behind curtains, brooding over the affair, at the head of the twin staircases entering front hall. She glanced across the stairwell and spotted her parents with her younger sisters preparing to enter the banquet.

No doubt Iris and Harriet would be considered the guests of honour as this banquet was because of finding them. She smiled lightly, glad that her sisters were once again their happy selves, and she smoothed out the front of her dress before joining them at the centre of the stairway.

Her parents smiled warmly at her, and the twins giggled excitedly. Adel smiled, taking each of the twins by the hand and leading them into the front hall.

There were many cheers in the crowd as three candlelit spotlights shone down on the three princesses.

Another spotlight beamed down on their parents, who lead the way to the dance floor and began dancing to the soft music.

"Go find some dance partners, you two…" Adel smiled warmly, shooing her sisters towards the crowds.

The lit beams followed the young princesses as they looked in the crowds for their certain someone.

Iris was the first out on the dance floor with Lucius holding her hand. Harriet scuttled about and finally dragged a reluctant Liam onto the dance floor. The ogrelet nervously glanced about and then began to dance with the human princess.

Adel couldn't help but smile until she felt a light tap at her shoulder. She turned around and looked up the stairs at Arthur.

The twenty-year-old was dressed in the same knee-length emerald green cloak with the twin gold lions' head clips that had tiny emeralds for eyes. The cape was fastened at the shoulders of a dark green tunic which had a pattern of small diamonds embroidered in gold thread across the torso. He wore the tunic over a pair of dark green trousers.

The young king smiled genuinely. "Might I be so bold to ask to be your dance partner, princess?" He murmured softly, so only the twenty-year-old princess could hear him.

Adel beamed widely. "I wouldn't have anyone else, your highness." She took Artie's arm and the sandy-blonde-haired man gently escorted her onto the dance floor.

* * *

After many dances, the butlers handed out glasses of wine to the adults –fruit juice to the children-, as there were a variety of toasts to be made in honour of the twins.

The minstrels and conversations were silent as King Fredrick and Queen Ophelia stepped up onto the stage with a raised glass.

Fredrick started. "We would just like to thank all those who contributed in searching for our daughters and a special thank you to Far Far Away's captain of the guard, Sir Timotheus Sylva for bringing them home. To Iris and Harriet."

"To Iris and Harriet!" The crowds exclaimed.

"And… as an aside." Ophelia –who had been drinking quite a few glasses of wine during the banquet- announced, "Our congratulations to King Arthur and Princess Adel for their engagement."

Adel's bright blue eyes widened, as she was drinking to the previous toast. She only just stopped herself from spitting out the sip of wine. She swallowed her drink and looked at the sandy-blonde-haired king standing beside her in surprise.

"Um…" Artie rubbed the back of his head. "It was supposed to be a surprise for later on, however given the circumstances…" He sighed nervously, knelt down on one knee and took Adel's hand. "Princess Adel Marksworth, I ask to you -as a man in love- rather than a king who's desperate for a queen…" He locked eyes with his lover. "Will you marry me?"

Adel was speechless. Finally she composed herself and smiled down at the young king. "Of course I will."

Artie smiled up at Adel and stood to his feet. Adel pulled Artie into a tight hug while the surrounding guests cheered loudly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hmm… I guess I could probably finish this fanfic up with a grand total of 21 chapters, maybe 22, if necessary.

**Manga Girl # 6**


	20. A Wedding to Remember

**Author's Note:**

Well would you look at that! I guess the wedding's going to be in this chapter then… that means that this story is almost complete.

* * *

The wedding of Arthur Pendragon and Adel Marksworth had been set by a few days after Arthur's proposal. Many guests had arrived within these days and both kingdoms were rejoicing for the unity.

"One hour until the ceremony…" Adel whispered to herself as Madame Christine's minions circled around her, adjusting everything from the train of her dress to the veil in her hair perched on her tiara.

Her four bridesmaids –Sylvanus, Cindy, Beauty, and Snow- were outfitted in powder blue gowns and each paced Adel's room nervously. Lucillius sat on Adel's bed, swinging her legs idly as she held Adel's bouquet of summer floral for safeguarding.

"Do you have everything?" Ophelia demanded. "You know as traditions tell; something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?"

"Would you give the girl a break?" Siobhan –Adel's maid of honour- lounged casually in one of the blue velvet armchairs in Adel's room. "She's getting married, not inventorying her personal effects."

Iris, Harriet, and Kathryn giggled; dressed in light blue summer dresses. Kathryn and Lucillius would serve as the wedding's flower girls while Iris and Harriet would be holding the train of Adel's gown.

Adel smiled weakly as she looked down at her wedding dress proudly. It had taken a deal of arguing with both Madame Christine and her mother to get this dress Okayed for the wedding.

It was an off the shoulder gown that was tapered by a looser corset until it reached a chiffon ivory-coloured skirt that was decorated with a spider-web-like embroidery in light silver thread.

Iris started. "Something new, that's your dress, right Del-Del?"

"Yes." Adel smiled, turning around on the spot.

"And something blue is your crown Del-Del!" Harriet giggled.

"You got it." The princess winked.

"And Grandma said that that sash is really old." Kathryn stated.

Adel smiled; smoothing her hands over her waist to an emerald and gold woven sash that Queen Lillian had given to her in tradition of the women married as the monarchs for Far Far Away.

"And you borrowed my necklace…" Siobhan stated.

Adel smirked smugly and chuckled. "Sure did… it's beautiful by the way." She pointed to a golden chain with a jade stone at its end secured at her neck.

"And I'd like to get it back after you and Artie's honeymoon, thank you." Siobhan winked.

Adel chuckled, wondering what her husband to be was currently doing.

* * *

Artie paced the room, surrounded by many of Fiddlesworth and Raul's minions. "Half an hour to go…" He was outfitted in a dark emerald tunic with light green trousers and a gold belt as well as a forest-green cape secured by his polished lions' head clips.

In his room were the men of the party. Chad, Mike, Ray and Timotheus who would be bringing their wives down the aisle as the bridesmaids' escorts. Lucius Sylva, who would serve as the ring bearer. Harold and Liam, who would be bearing the King and Queen's crowns down the aisle. Shrek was Artie's best man for the wedding, and was being help by both Puss and Donkey to keep the fretting king from getting cold feet.

The young king paced his room, sometimes being reprimanded by Fiddlesworth for his lack of wits, only to be scared off by an icy glare from Shrek.

* * *

Queen Lillian peeked her head into Adel's room. "The ceremony's beginning soon." She stated with a warm smile. "We'll require the leading procession of bridesmaids, flower girls and the maid of honour in the front hall. Everyone else should seat themselves in the gardens." The aged queen looked at her soon to be niece-in-law. "Your father will be here shortly to escort you to the front hall, Adel."

Adel nodded and smiled to her parting friends. Lucillius hopped off of her bed and handed Adel the beautiful bouquet of flowers before grabbing her basket of flower petals and hurrying to catch up with her new friends. The servants and Adel's mother hurried to get their seats in the front hall, leaving the young bride alone in her room.

* * *

"Are we all ready in here?" Queen Lillian asked kindly as she entered Artie's room. "We'll need the bridesmaid's escorts, the crown bearers, and the ring bearer in the front hall. Everyone else should get to their seats." She looked to her nephew. "Arthur, when you're ready…" She nodded and then exited the room.

After a few parting good lucks most of the men left the young king's room; leaving Puss, Donkey and Shrek to deal with the young groom.

"Ready, Artie?" Shrek enquired, nudging the young king back into reality.

"Yeah…" Artie laughed half-heartedly. "More than ever…" He looked forward weakly.

"Look, Artie, do you love Adel?" Donkey demanded.

"Of course I do." Artie snapped.

"Then you should have no problem with getting married." Puss stated.

Donkey and Puss then left the young king's room.

Artie paused to brood over his friends' words. He sighed and looked determinedly forwards and led the way out of his room. "Okay… Now I'm ready." He stated.

"Good, 'cause we're going to be late if we don't hurry up…" Shrek gave the young man an encouraging push forwards and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Ready, Adel?" King Fredrick stood at the doorway into Adel's room.

The young bride stood and smiled to her father. "More than ever."

Fredrick smiled warmly at his eldest daughter and took her by the arm, leaving the room.

* * *

The wedding ceremony was set in one of the stone courtyards within the palace gardens. The many wedding guests were seated on wooden benches facing an elegant floral archway. The archbishop stood at the altar; here to both wed the couple, and then crown them King and Queen of Far Far Away. A bright red carpet led the way down the aisle and ended at the foot of the altar.

Once the guests were assembled twin trumpets announced the arrival of the wedding party. The guests stood from their seats and looked down the aisle.

Artie and Shrek walked down the aisle first and then stood by the archbishop. Behind them were Harold and Liam bearing the crowns of Far Far Away and Lucius Sylva bearing the rings. Kathryn and Lucillius then proceeded together, scattering cherry blossoms and rose petals along the carpeting.

Then came Siobhan up the aisle, followed by the bridesmaids and bridesmaids' escorts; Sylvanus with Timotheus, Cinderella with Chad, Snow White with Michael, and Sleeping Beauty with Murray.

Finally the trumpets sounded once more, integrating the bridal march. A choir of singers began to beautifully sing out the tune and Adel –escorted by her father- came gliding down the aisle. Iris and Harriet were behind Adel, holding the lengthy train of her gown.

Artie –among many of the wedding guests- was awestruck at Adel's beauty. The bouquet of white roses, baby's breath, white lilies in her hands seemed to bring out the subtle colours on her gown. The sheer white veil was draped over her face like a ghostly pale curtain, yet even though it Artie could see Adel's bright, enchanting smile.

King Fredrick released his eldest daughter as he stepped to the side of the altar. Shrek gave Artie a nod and step away as the two twenty-year-olds stepped together, Arthur gently peeled off the veil to see Adel's smiling freckled face, and held each other's hands.

The archbishop opened the holy bible and looked over the young couple with a kind smile. "Dearly beloved…"

* * *

Adel and Artie's eyes were locked together the entire ceremony, as if they were alone in their own world.

"Do you Arthur Pendragon take Adel Marksworth to be your lawfully wedded wife; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse; for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." The young man stated.

"And do you Adel Marksworth take Arthur Pendragon to be your lawfully wedded husband; in sickness and in health; for better or for worse; for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." The young woman stated.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife: King and Queen of the Kingdom of Far Far Away."

The archbishop anointed each of their foreheads with holy oil and then placed the twin crowns of Far Far Away on each of their heads.

Lucius stepped forwards with the wedding bands on the pillow. The couple smiled down to the young child and each took a ring. Adel looked at Artie and slipped the golden wedding band on his ring finger. Artie took the golden wedding band and slipped it on Adel's ring finger. They then looked to the archbishop.

"You may now kiss the bride." The old man smiled warmly.

Artie looked down at his wife with the fullest smile he had ever possessed. Adel smiled back at him. Artie then leaned down and locked lips with Adel.

The crowd roared with cheers as rice and flower petals rained down upon the married couple.

They separated and then Artie escorted Adel down the aisle towards the garden courtyard where their wedding reception would be held. The smiles never left their faces.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And after the wedding, will come the wedding reception, WOOT… party!

**Manga Girl # 6**


	21. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

So this is likely to be the last chapter of this story… Enjoy!

* * *

The wedding reception as held that summer evening in one of the palace garden's courtyards. The area was lit by small candles in elegant crystal bubbles, which hung from the walls and lattices in the courtyard. A polished marble dance floor was in the centre of the area and a stage of minstrels were preparing their instruments and warming up.

Artie and Adel stood at the entrance of the courtyard, greeting the wedding guests that had come to the reception while a steady mountain of wedding gifts was forming.

Finally once everyone was seated at the round tables around the courtyard, Artie and Adel seated themselves at the head table with their family. Adel had her parents and younger sisters, and Artie had his aunt and Shrek's family.

Lillian stood in her seat and lightly tapped her crystal glass. Once the courtyard was silent the aged woman began to speak.

"Now before we dig into what the chefs have cooked up for our dinner, I would like to propose a toast to the newlyweds, Arthur and Adel; may they live happily together for many years to come… To Arthur and Adel." She raised her glass.

"To Arthur and Adel!"

The waiters then scuttled about the courtyard to serve the appetizers to each guest and refill their goblets with drink.

* * *

Once the guests had finished off their desserts the minstrels were prepared to begin their music pieces.

The leader of the minstrels cleared his throat. "And now… as part of wedding tradition, it would be a pleasure to assign the first dance of the evening to the newlyweds."

The young groom gently escorted his young bride out onto the polished marble dance floor. A single violin began the piece of music and the married couple drifted across the dance floor bathed in candlelight spotlights. The soft strumming of a lute and the gentle plunking of a harp soon joined the violin.

The newlyweds were completely absorbed in the dance, their eyes locked and their smiles gentle.

After a few moments the couple tenderly locked lips then bowed cordially to their guests, allowing them to engage in the dance as well.

Fredrick led his wife out onto the dance floor, followed by the bridesmaids and their escorts. Then came Madame Christine and Raul, Siobhan and her beau from Scotland joined the dancers. Siobhan's older brothers, all who had acquired a date for the wedding, also joined in the dance. Shrek and Fiona, Iris and Lucius, Harriet and Liam, and Harold and Lucillius soon joined the bunch. Kathryn decided to dance with Donkey and all five of the Dronkeys at the sidelines.

Finally the song ended and the partners bowed to each other and then applauded the minstrels' talent.

* * *

"And now." The lead minstrel called out. "The traditional father-daughter dance for this evening, lead by our new Queen Adel Pendragon and her father King Fredrick Marksworth."

Adel smiled, hearing her new title for the first time since she had acquired it, separating from her husband as the dance floor cleared once again, leaving only her and her father. Fredrick smiled down at his eldest daughter and they began dancing to the almost bittersweet tune produced by the minstrels.

"I'm so proud of you, Adel." Fredrick whispered down to his daughter. "You've done both kingdoms proudly by overcoming the barriers between them and following your heart."

Adel looked up and smiled at her father. "I couldn't have done it without you, father."

Adel and Fredrick nodded cordially to the guests and more father-daughter couples walked out onto the floor: Siobhan with her father, the King of Scotland; Shrek with his only daughter, Kathryn; Donkey with Éclair and Cocoa; and Sir Timotheus with his young daughter, Lucillius. Iris and Harriet joined their older sister and father in a group dance.

* * *

The summer evening seemed shorter than it was, and soon the guests were retiring to their beds for the evening. As the last few guests left the courtyard Artie and Adel stood at the front entrance of the palace.

"What are we going to do with all of the gifts?" Adel enquired with a smirk, glancing at the mountain of beautifully wrapped presents.

"I'm sure the children will opt to helping us open them in the morning." Artie smiled. "Now come on, we'd best be getting to bed."

Adel giggled as her husband gently escorted her back into the palace towards their new room.

* * *

The young man carried his wife into their new room, bridal style, and she smiled gently up at him.

"I've never been more happier in my life, Artie."

"Neither have I, Adel." He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek before setting her down on her feet.

Adel gently lifted the crown of Far Far Away from her head and placed it on its stand in the room.

She then walked out onto the balcony and looked out at the millions of stars embedded like twinkling diamonds on their midnight blue canvas.

A gentle breeze caressed her freckled face as she looked out on her new home.

Artie stood beside Adel; setting his left hand down on her right. The golden wedding band on his hand shone in the pale moonlight and Adel gently leaned against his arm.

"I love you, Artie…" She smiled.

"And I love you, Adel." Artie kissed his wife on the forehead where the cross of oil had been anointed by the archbishop.

They stood there on the marble balcony, bathed in the moonlight, arms around each other.

Adel smiled and looked up at her husband. "I'd like to propose a toast of my own…"

"Without any wine?" Artie enquired.

Adel nodded. She inhaled and looked up at her husband. Her bright blue eyes met his pale green eyes and she smiled warmly. "To a new beginning."

Artie smiled down at his wife. "To a new beginning."

With that vow, the young couple locked lips tenderly, ensuring that the promise would be kept, and then decided to retire for the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well, that ends that story… thank you all for the lovely reviews and stay tuned –if you please- for more fanfics that I'll soon be writing.

**Manga Girl # 6**


	22. A Quest for Knowledge!

**To my Loyal Readers:**

This isn't a new chapter for my completed story, but an opportunity for those who have finished reading to test their knowledge! I have a new Quizilla account and I've decided to use it for personality quizzes and knowledge tests, as well as a place to post my short stories.

So feel free to test your knowledge of "Married to a Stranger" and hopefully I'll be getting around to adding new knowledge tests for my other fanfics (as well as actually completing the aforementioned fics...)

The link is: **_"http:// quizilla. teennick. com/tests/15947250/married-to-a-stranger"_** (just take away the spaces and quotation marks)

_Have Fun! (and be on the lookout for more quizzes!)_

**Manga Girl number 6**


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